To caress, fondle, or treat indulgently; to pet (dialectal, Scottish, or archaic).
A variant of 'dauk,' appearing in Scottish and Northern English dialects. The root likely connects to Low German or Dutch 'dalen' or similar caressing verbs, representing regional phonetic variations.
Scottish English preserved many caressing and affection words that have disappeared from standard English—'dault,' 'dauk,' and similar terms reflect a culture that valued having distinct vocabulary for emotional touch.
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