English
darn
A minced oath of damn.
The story
A minced oath of damn.
Another origin of darn
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-‘to support’root as named
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*darnī‘hidden, secret’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*darnijan‘to hide, conceal’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150diernan‘to hide, conceal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dernen‘to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)’
- Englishtodaydarn
Today it means
adj Damn.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / darn