v.
tr. To mend (a garment, for example) by weaving thread or yarn across a gap or hole. v.
intr. To repair a hole, as in a garment, by weaving thread or yarn across it. n. A hole repaired by weaving thread or yarn across it: a sock full of darns.
[French dialectal darner, perhaps from Norman French darne, piece, from Breton darn.]
darn 2 (därn) interj. Used to express dissatisfaction or annoyance. adv.
& adj. Damn. tr.v.
darned, darn·ing, darns To damn.
"mend" c.1600, perhaps from M.Fr. darner "mend," from darne "piece," from Breton darn "piece, fragment, part." Alternative etymology is from obs. dern, from O.E. diernan "to hide," from dierne "secret," from W.Gmc. *darnjaz.
darn (2)
tame curse word, 1781, Amer.Eng. euphemism for damn, said to have originated in New England when swearing was a punishable offense; if so, its spread was probably infl. by 'tarnal, short for Eternal, as in By the Eternal (God), favorite exclamation of Andrew Jackson, among others.