The present participle of 'daw,' meaning to dawn or break into daylight, or to caw like a jackdaw.
From Old English 'dagian' (to dawn) combined with the suffix '-ing' for continuous action. The word evolved to also describe the sound jackdaws make, blending the natural phenomenon with animal behavior.
This word captures something poets love—it's almost onomatopoetic, mimicking both the gradual breaking of dawn and the harsh cry of birds waking at that moment. Medieval writers used 'daw' for both phenomena because they happened together in the pre-dawn darkness.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.