deft | a. [ OE. daft, deft, becoming, mild, gentle, stupid (cf. OE. daffe, deffe, fool, coward), AS. dæft (in derivatives only) mild, gentle, fitting, seasonable; akin to dafen, gedafen, becoming, fit, Goth. gadaban to be fit. Cf. Daft, Daff, Dapper. ] 1. Apt; fit; spruce; neat. [ Archaic or Poetic ] “The deftest way.” Shak. “Deftest feats.” Gay. [ 1913 Webster ] Let me be deft and debonair. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. dexterous; clever; handy; as, a deft feat of legerdemain. [ PJC ] The limping god, so deft at his new ministry. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ] |