verb (used with object)
1.
to mend, as torn clothing, with rows of stitches, sometimes by crossing and interweaving rows to span a gap.
noun
2.
a darned place, as in a garment: an old sock full of darns.
Origin:
1590–1600; perhaps to be identified with Middle English dernen to keep secret, conceal, Old English (Anglian) dernan
1590–1600; perhaps to be identified with Middle English dernen to keep secret, conceal, Old English (Anglian) dernan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To darn
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Darn
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
darn1 (dɑːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to mend (a hole or a garment) with a series of crossing or interwoven stitches |
| —n | |
| 2. | a patch of darned work on a garment |
| 3. | the process or act of darning |
| [C16: probably from French (Channel Islands dialect) darner; compare Welsh, Breton darn piece] | |
| 'darner1 | |
| —n | |
| 'darning1 | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
darn
"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
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. Related: Darndest (superl., 1844).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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