adaga

Portuguese

First attested in the 16th century. Rebracketing of earlier daga, in constructions such as a daga (“the dagger”), uma daga (“a dagger”), reanalyzed as a adaga, uma adaga. Daga was inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese daga; its ultimate origin is uncertain, perhaps a borrowing from Italian daga, or directly from its etymon, Vulgar Latin *daca, thought to derive from the feminine of Dācus (“Dacian”), as in arma Dāca (“Dacian weapon”), referring to the weapon’s origins in Dacia. Cognates include Occitan, Italian, Spanish, and Galician daga, Dutch dagge, German Degen, and English dagger.

adaga f (plural adagas)

(weaponry) dagger (a stabbing weapon)
Synonym: punhal
- 1552, João de Barros, “Em que ſe deſcrę́ue a regiam do reyno de Sofála [In which the region of the kingdom of Sofala is described]” (chapter I), in Aſia de Joam de Barros [João de Barros’s Asia]‎^[1], 1st edition, volume X, Lisbon: Germão Galharde, page 119v:
  Entrelles nam há caualos ⁊ poꝛ iſſo a guerra que Benomotápa fáz ę́ a pę com eſtas armas, arcos de frechas, azagayas daremeſo, adágas, machadinhas de fę́rro, que coꝛtam muy bem […]
  Among them there are no horses, and for that reason the Mutapa Empire wages war on foot, with these weapons: bows and arrows, throwing assegais, daggers, iron hatchets, which cut very well […]
(typography) dagger (the character †)
Synonyms: obelisco, cruz, óbelo