*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of darn

A minced oath of damn.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Damn.

verb

Damn.

adv

Damned.

intj

Damn.

noun

Damn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A minced oath of damn.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A place mended by darning.

verb

To repair by stitching with thread or yarn, particularly by using a needle to construct a weave across a damaged area of fabric.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*dʰer-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentiondernenenm · to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)
  • Inherited-form mentiondiernanang · to hide, conceal
  • Inherited-form mention*darnijangmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*darnīgmw-pro · hidden, secret
  • Cognate mentiondyrneang
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for darn →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGFybg