Word of the Day

: August 31, 2009

daedal

adjective DEE-dul

What It Means

1 a : skillful, artistic

b : intricate

2 : adorned with many things

daedal in Context

The filmmaker makes daedal use of lighting effects and camera angles to create a noirish atmosphere.

Did You Know?

You might know Daedalus as the mythological prisoner who fashioned wings of feathers and wax to escape from the island of Crete with his son Icarus. But it was as architect and sculptor, one said to have designed a labyrinth for King Minos on Crete, that he earned his name. "Daedalus" (from Greek "daidalos") is Latin for "skillfully wrought." The same skillful Latin adjective gave English the adjectives "daedal" (in use since the 16th century) and "Daedalian" (or "Daedalean"), a synonym of "daedal."