An obsolete or archaic form of 'daint,' meaning a delicacy, treat, or something precious and rare.
From Old French deinté, from Latin dignitate, 'worthiness.' This word appears in Middle English texts but became obsolete as 'dainty' took over as the preferred form.
Medieval people used 'deynt' for fancy foods—like when a peasant might dream of 'a deynt of honeycomb'—and this word eventually morphed into the more familiar 'dainty' we use today!
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