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daunt

 - 3 dictionary results

daunt

  [dawnt, dahnt]
Use daunt in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to overcome with fear; intimidate: to daunt one's adversaries.
2. to lessen the courage of; dishearten: Don't be daunted by the amount of work still to be done.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME da(u)nten < AF da(u)nter, OF danter, alter. of donter (prob. by influence of dangier power, authority; see danger ) < L domitāre to tame, deriv. of domitus, ptp. of domāre to tame

Related forms:
daunt⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
daunt⋅ing⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. overawe, subdue, dismay, frighten. 2. discourage, dispirit.

Antonyms:
2. encourage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To daunt
daunt   (dônt, dänt)   
tr.v.   daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts
To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay.

[Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin domitāre, frequentative of domāre, to tame; see demə- in Indo-European roots.]
daunt'er n., daunt'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

daunt 
c.1300, from O.Fr. danter, var. of donter, from L. domitare, freq. of domare "to tame" (see tame). Originally "to vanquish;" sense of "to intimidate" is from c.1475.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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