darn
UK /dɑːn/ · US /dɑɹn/ adjective, adverb, interjection, verb, noun
- adjective (euphemistic) Damn.
- adverb (degree, euphemistic) Damned.
- verb (transitive, euphemistic) Damn.
- verb (transitive, sewing) To repair by stitching with thread or yarn, particularly by using a needle to construct a weave across a damaged area of fabric. “I need to darn these socks again.”
- noun A place mended by darning.
Synonyms
damned dammit dang damn hoot red cent shit shucks tinker's damn tinker's dam mend patch
Etymology
A minced oath of damn.
From Middle English dernen (“to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)”), from Old English diernan (“to hide, conceal”), from Proto-West Germanic *darnijan, from Proto-West Germanic *darnī (“hidden, secret”). Related to Old English dyrne, dierne (“secret”, adjective).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread.
- noun A place mended by darning.
- verb A colloquial euphemism for Damn.
Etymology [OE. derne, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. darnio to piece, break in pieces, W. & Arm. to E. tear. Cf. Tear, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “darn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details