- In this word, the "what" has been completely eliminated through clipping, while "the" and "fuck" have been compounded and altered to "da" and "fuq," respectively. While the phrase holds little meaning using the literal definition of the individual words, when combined they form a powerful statement. The shortened phrase could be a euphemism used to avoid saying "fuck". This word is rarely seen outside the context of the internet, and is usually associated with various internet memes.
dafuq
interjection; clipping
A shortened form of the phrase, "What the fuck?" Used in reaction to startling or incomprehensible statement.
Etymology : Compound of "what", "the", "fuck". What: from Old English "hwaet", the neuter singular of "who". First used as in "What did you say?" c.1300. The: from Old English "the", with the same meaning. Fuck: unclear etymology, likely from either Germanic or Latin.
Source : "dafuq?" Used in response to a humorous and perplexing image posted on Reddit. Etymology from Etymonline.
Last modified: 26 November 2013