different between deft vs efficacious

English

Etymology

From Middle English defte, daft (“gentle”), from Old English dæfte (“mild, gentle, meek”), from Proto-West Germanic *daft? (“fitting, suitable”), derived from *daban? (“to be suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *d?h?eb?- (“fitting, fit together”). Near cognates include Gothic ???????????????????????? (gad?fs, “suitable”), West Frisian deftich (“distinguished”), Dutch deftig (“distinguished”), German deftig (“coarse”). Further cognates include Russian ????? (dobro, “wealth, good”) and Latin faber (“craftsman; skillful”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /d?ft/
• Rhymes: -?ft

Adjective

deft (comparative defter, superlative deftest)

1. Quick and neat in action; skillful.

Derived terms

• deftly

Related terms

• daft

Translations

English

Etymology

From Old French efficacieux, from Latin effic?x (“efficacious”) +? -ous, from efficere (“to effect, to accomplish”); see effect.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f.?.?ke?.??s/

  Rhymes: -e???s

Adjective

efficacious (comparative more efficacious, superlative most efficacious)

1. (formal) Effective; possessing efficacy. [from 1520s]

   Synonym: effective

   Antonym: inefficacious

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• efficacious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• efficacious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “efficacious”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.