dark

dark · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰer-“dull, dirty”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰerg-“dim, dull”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*derk“dark”
4. Old English · inherited fromdeorc
5. Middle English · inherited fromderk
6. English todaydark

From Middle English derk, from Old English deorc, from Proto-West Germanic *derk (“dark”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg- (“dim, dull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“dull, dirty”).

dark · noun²

1. Old English · inherited from*dierce
2. Middle English · inherited fromderk
3. English todaydark

From Middle English derk, derke, dirke, dyrke, from the adjective (see above), or possibly from an unrecorded Old English *dierce, *diercu (“dark, darkness”).

dark · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰerg-
2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰerg-o-s
3. Proto-Germanic*derkaz?
4. Proto-West Germanic*derk
5. Proto-West Germanic*derkōn
6. Old Englishdeorcian
7. Middle Englishderken
8. English todaydark

Inherited from Middle English derken, from Old English deorcian, from Proto-West Germanic *derkōn, from *derk (“dirty, dark”) + *-ōn.

Words from the same roots