I. dada ˈda(ˌ)da, ˈdä(ˌ)dä sometimes ˈdadə noun
( -s )
Etymology: baby talk — more at dad
: father
II. da·da ˈdä(ˌ)dä noun
or da·da·ism ˈdä(ˌ)däˌizəm, ˈdäˌdiz-
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: dada from French, from (baby talk) dada hobby horse, hobby (arbitrarily chosen symbol of the movement), reduplication of da, dia giddap; dadaism from French dadaïsme, from dada + -isme -ism
1. : the principles or practice in the arts and especially painting that flourished chiefly in France, Switzerland, and Germany from 1916 to about 1920 and that were based on deliberate irrationality, anarchy, cynicism, and negation of laws of beauty and social organization
2. : the cult of Dada