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dawn

 - 6 dictionary results

dawn

  [dawn]
Use dawn in a Sentence
–noun
1. the first appearance of daylight in the morning: Dawn broke over the valley.
2. the beginning or rise of anything; advent: the dawn of civilization.
–verb (used without object)
3. to begin to grow light in the morning: The day dawned with a cloudless sky.
4. to begin to open or develop.
5. to begin to be perceived (usually fol. by on): The idea dawned on him.
Origin:
bef. 1150; ME dawen (v.), OE dagian, deriv. of dæg day; akin to ON daga, MD, MLG dagen, OHG tagēn

Related forms:
dawnlike, adjective

Synonyms:
1. daybreak, sunrise. 5. appear, occur, break.

Antonyms:
1. sunset.

Dawn

  [dawn]
–noun
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dawn
dawn   (dôn)   
n.  

  1. The time each morning at which daylight first begins.

  2. A first appearance; a beginning: the dawn of history. See Synonyms at beginning.

intr.v.   dawned, dawn·ing, dawns

  1. To begin to become light in the morning.

  2. To begin to appear or develop; emerge.

  3. To begin to be perceived or understood: Realization of the danger soon dawned on us.


[From Middle English daunen, to dawn, probably a back-formation from dauning, daybreak, alteration of dauing, from Old English dagung, from dagian, to dawn; see agh- in Indo-European roots.]
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

dawn  (v.)
1499, shortened from dawning, dawing (1297), from O.E. dagung, from dagian "to become day," from root of dæg "day" (see day). Probably influenced by a Scandinavian word (cf. Dan. dagning, O.N. dagan). The noun is first recorded 1599.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

dawn

In addition to the idiom beginning with dawn, also see crack of dawn; light dawned.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
DAWN
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The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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