Dispirited daughter getting behind (5)
I believe the answer is:
drear
'dispirited' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'daughter getting behind' is the wordplay.
'daughter' becomes 'd' (genealogical abbreviation).
'getting' says to put letters next to each other.
'behind' becomes 'rear' (both can mean one's bottom).
'd'+'rear'='DREAR'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for drear that I've seen before include "Dull, bleak, depressing" , "Literarily gloomy" , "Dismal, dull" , "Poetic dull and uninteresting" , "Dull and tedious" .)