dao
English
![](Images/wiktionary/Saber_with_Scabbard_and_Belt_Hook_(%E6%B8%85_%E8%85%B0%E5%88%80)_MET_DP-834-001.jpg.webp)
![](Images/wiktionary/Sword_(Dao)_with_Scabbard_and_Baldric_MET_36.25.1630a_b_001_Mar2017.jpg.webp)
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -aʊ
Etymology 1
- From the pinyin romanization of Chinese 道 (Dào, literally “the Way”) or (dào, "circuit").
- From the pinyin romanization of Chinese 刀 (dāo, literally “single-edged blade”).
Proper noun
dao
- (Chinese philosophy) Alternative form of Tao: the way of nature and/or the ideal way to live one's life.
Noun
dao (usually uncountable, plural daos)
- (historical) Synonym of circuit: various administrative divisions of imperial and early Republican China.
- Any of various traditional Chinese swords with a curved, single-edged blade, primarily used for slashing and chopping.
- A sword and construction tool of the Naga people of India, which has a wooden hilt and grows wider from the narrow hilt to the wide, flat tip.
Etymology 2
From Tagalog or Cebuano dao.
Noun
dao (plural daos)
- Dracontomelon dao; a large tree of the family Anacardiaceae; the argus pheasant tree.
- The hard strong wood of the dao used for veneers and cabinetwork.
Anagrams
- ADO, AOD, DOA, ODA, Oda, ado, oad, oda
Aromanian
Alternative forms
- dau, dauã, doauã
Etymology
Feminine form of doi. From Latin duae, nominative feminine of duo.
Numeral
dao f (masculine doi)
- two
Cebuano
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: da‧o
Noun
dao
- dao (Dracontomelon dao)
- the edible fruit of this tree
- the wood from this tree
Limburgish
Alternative forms
- da, do (Eupen)
- dooe (Krefeld)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [dɔː˨]
- Hyphenation: dao
- Rhymes: -ɔː
Adverb
dao
- there
Synonyms
- der
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [dɔː˦]
- Hyphenation: dao
- Rhymes: -ɔː
Adverb
dao
- for that reason
Mandarin
Romanization
dao
- Nonstandard spelling of dāo.
- Nonstandard spelling of dáo.
- Nonstandard spelling of dǎo.
- Nonstandard spelling of dào.
Usage notes
- English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
Tagalog
Etymology
Compare Cebuano dao, Kapampangan dau,and Indonesian dahu.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: da‧o
- IPA(key): /daˈʔo/, [dɐˈʔo]
Noun
daó
- dao tree (Dracontomelon dao)
- wood from the dao tree
Toba Batak
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zauq.
Adjective
dao
- far
References
- Warneck, J. (1906). Tobabataksch-Deutsches Wörterbuch. Batavia: Landesdrukkerij, p. 45.
Toraja-Sa'dan
Adverb
dao
- above
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
- (North Central Vietnam) đao
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *-taːw, from Old Chinese 刀 (OC *C.tˤaw) (B-S) (SV: đao). Compare North Central Vietnamese đao (“knife”).
This word was borrowed at a stage when the Sinitic word still retained the preinitial, thus causing lenition: *-t- > Middle Vietnamese dĕao [ðj-] > modern [z- ~ j-]. The Sino-Vietnamese reading đao, on the other hand, derived from Middle Chinese 刀 (MC tɑu) when the onset already simplified and resulted in a stop. The North Central đao, although formally identical to the more recent Sino-Vietnamese reading due to the fact that these dialects did not undergo lenition to the large extent, belongs to the same stratum as dao, as indicated by the meaning "knife".
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [zaːw˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [jaːw˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [jaːw˧˧]
- Homophone: Dao; giao
Noun
(classifier con) dao • (刀, 釖, 鉸)
- knife
- dao bếp ― a kitchen knife
See also
- dao bấm
- dao bầu
- dao cạo
- dao găm
- dao kéo
- dao lam
- dao phay
- dao rọc giấy
- dao rựa