English
darkness
Darkness comes from Old English deorcnes ‘darkness, obscurity’, from deorc ‘dark’, and ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *derk.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*derk‘dark’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150deorc‘dark’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150deorcnes‘darkness, obscurity’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500derknesse
- Englishearliest quotation 1850darkness
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*derk‘dark’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150deorc‘dark’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150deorcnes‘darkness, obscurity’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500derknesse
- Englishearliest quotation 1850darkness
Earliest quotation: 1850, [Alfred, Canto XXXIV: “My own dim life should teach me this, That…”
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *derk ‘dark’
through Old English deorc ‘dark’
Today it means
noun The state of being dark; lack of light; the absolute or comparative absence of light.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *derk / darkness