*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dern

From Middle English dern, derne, from Old English dyrne, dierne (“secret”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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 ↗
noun

A secret; secrecy. · A secret place; hiding. · An obscure language. · Darkness; obscurity.

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

From Middle English dern, derne, from Old English dyrne, dierne (“secret”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”).

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 mentiondernenm
  • Inherited-form mentiondyrneang
  • Derivation mention*darnīgmw-pro · hidden, secret
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*dʰer-"
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    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dern"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dern"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dyrne"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dyrne"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*darnī",
        "t": "hidden, secret"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”)"
    }
  ],
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      "dern",
      "dern#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "derne",
      "derne#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dyrne",
      "dyrne#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dierne",
      "dierne#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*darnī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/darnī"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A secret; secrecy.",
        "A secret place; hiding.",
        "An obscure language.",
        "Darkness; obscurity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Hidden; secret; private.

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

From Middle English dern, derne, from Old English dyrne, dierne (“hidden, secret, retired, obscure, remote, eluding detection, concealed, deceitful, evil, magical”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”). Doublet of terne.

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 mentiondernenm
  • Inherited-form mentiondyrneang
  • Inherited-form mention*darnīgmw-pro · hidden, secret
  • Doublet mentionterneen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "Middle English dern"
    },
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    },
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        "2": "terne"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of terne"
    }
  ],
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      "dern#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "derne",
      "derne#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dyrne",
      "dyrne#Old_English"
    ],
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      "dierne",
      "dierne#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*darnī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/darnī"
    ],
    [
      "terne",
      "terne#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Hidden; secret; private."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To hide; secrete, as in a hole. · To hide oneself; skulk.

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

From Middle English dernen, dærnen, from Old English dyrnan, diernan (“to keep secret, conceal, hide, restrain, repress, hide oneself”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnijan (“to conceal”), from *darnī (“hidden, secret”). Cognate with Old Saxon dernian (“to conceal”), German tarnen (“to camouflage, disguise”). See also darn, tarnish.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*dʰer-"
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osx",
        "2": "dernian",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to conceal"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon dernian (“to conceal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "tarnen",
        "3": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "German tarnen (“to camouflage, disguise”)"
    }
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      "dernen",
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    ],
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      "dærnen",
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    ],
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      "dyrnan#Old_English"
    ],
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      "diernan",
      "diernan#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*darnijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/darnijan"
    ],
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      "*darnī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/darnī"
    ],
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      "dernian",
      "dernian#Old_Saxon"
    ],
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      "tarnen",
      "tarnen#German"
    ],
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      "darn",
      "darn#English"
    ],
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      "tarnish",
      "tarnish#English"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A gatepost or doorpost.

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

Uncertain. Maybe related to door.

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 dern →

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-ZGVybg