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daredevil

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Etymology and origin of the English word daredevil

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1684
Ultimate origins
Old English durranAncient Greek διάβολος
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English dare
English daredevil

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈdɛədɛvəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English dare + devil, one who dares the devil.[2][3][4] For the formation, the OED compares cutthroat and scarecrow, and Etymonline also killjoy, pickpocket and dreadnought.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A recklessly daring person: Etymonline records it, also written dare devil, in 1684, in early use especially of someone careless of religious morality.[3] The OED's first quotation is from a work by John Wolcot of 1794,[2] the date Merriam-Webster also gives for the noun.[5]

Semantic evolution

In its early use the word often meant someone who defied religion: Etymonline cites a morality lecture of 1767 with a character called Daniel Daredevil, a cheat, debauchee and atheist.[3] By the 1790s it was also a racehorse's name.[3] The adjective, "recklessly daring", is dated by the OED to 1832, in Washington Irving's Alhambra,[2] by Etymonline to 1827,[3] and by Merriam-Webster to 1727.[5] The noun daredevilry is recorded from the mid-19th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 1684 – a recklessly daring person, especially one heedless of religion.[3]
  • 1767 – Daniel Daredevil, a character in a morality lecture.[3]
  • 1794 – one ready to dare the devil, in John Wolcot.[2][5]
  • 1832 – adjective, recklessly daring, in Washington Irving.[2] Etymonline dates the adjective to 1827.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who is recklessly bold and seems unafraid of danger, especially one who performs dangerous stunts.[5][6][2]

Adjective

  1. Recklessly daring; typical of a daredevil: a daredevil leap from the bridge.[5][6][2]

Word family

  • daredevilry
  • daredeviltry

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Daredevil.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/daredevil. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·