Etymology

darn

D2A1R1N1

Today it means: Damn. Full definition →

Middle English dernen ← Old English diernan ← Proto-West Germanic *darnijan
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darn · adjective, adverb, interjection, verb, noun1

A minced oath of damn.

darn · verb, noun2

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*darnī“hidden, secret”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*darnijan
  3. Old English · inherited fromdiernan“to hide, conceal”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromdernen“to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)”
  5. English todaydarn

From Middle English dernen (“to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)”), from Old English diernan (“to hide, conceal”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnijan, from Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”). Related to Old English dyrne, dierne (“secret”, adjective).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishdernen all →

dern

Proto-West Germanic*darnijan all →

tarnishdern

Proto-West Germanic*darnī all →

dern

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.