dun
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʌn/
- Rhymes: -ʌn
- Homophones: done, Donn, Donne, Dunn, Dunne
Etymology 1
From Middle English dun, dunne, from Old English dunn (“dun, dingy brown, bark-colored, brownish black”), from Proto-Germanic *dusnaz (“brown, yellow”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Cognate with Old Saxon dun (“brown, dark”), Old High German tusin (“ash-gray, dull brown, pale yellow, dark”), Old Norse dunna (“female mallard; duck”).
Alternative etymology derives the Old English word from Brythonic (compare Middle Welsh dwnn (“dark (red)”)), from Proto-Celtic *dusnos (compare Old Irish donn), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰews- (compare Old Saxon dosan (“chestnut brown”)). More at dusk.
Noun
dun (usually uncountable, plural duns)
- A brownish grey colour.
- dun:
- Synonym: claybank
Translations
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Adjective
dun (not comparable)
- Of a brownish grey colour.
- c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene v], lines 48–49, page 134, column 2:
- Come, thick Night,
And pall thee in the dunneſt ſmoake of Hell,
That my keene Knife ſee not the Wound it makes,
Nor Heauen peepe through the Blanket of the darke,
To cry, hold, hold.
- 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 130”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, OCLC 216596634:
- My Miſtres eyes are nothing like the Sunne,
Currall is farre more red, then her lips red,
If ſnow be white, why then her breſts are dun:
If hairs be wiers, black wiers grow on her head: [...]
- 1827, [John Keble], “Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity”, in The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], OCLC 1029642537, page 85:
- Red o'er the forest glows the setting sun, / The line of yellow light dies fast away / That crown'd the eastern copse, and chill and dun / Falls on the moor the brief November day.
-
Translations
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Derived terms
- donkey (possibly)
- dun-bar
- dun crow
- dun diver
- dunnock
See also
- bawn
- durmast oak
- Appendix:Colors
Etymology 2
Unknown; perhaps a variant of din. Several sources suggest origin from Joe Dun, the name of a bailiff known for arresting debtors, but this is controversial.
Noun
dun (plural duns)
- (countable) A collector of debts, especially one who is insistent and demanding.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 21345056, pages 162–163:
- "The truth is, Mr. Curl, I cannot write when I am plagued about trifles; and a tiresome dun this morning put to flight every idea that I had in the world."
"Mr. Maynard," said the bookseller, in a solemn tone, "it is very wrong to run in debt."
- 1889 [1712], John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull, London: Cassell & Co., OCLC 6255586, page 71:
- Look ye, gentlemen, I have lived with credit in the world, and it grieves my heart never to stir out of my doors but to be pulled by the sleeve by some rascally dun or other.
- 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter 18, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], OCLC 2603818:
- Melancholy duns came looking for him at all hours.
- 1970, John Glassco, Memoirs of Montparnasse, New York 2007, p. 102:
- ‘Frank's worried about duns,’ she said as the butler went away.
-
- An urgent request or demand of payment.
- 1842, A.B.G., “Errata”, in Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, volume 13, OCLC 10193591, page 251:
- Miss Hoppin received a dun for volume 9 1840–1 which Mr. James McConnell, (who now pays the above) is sure was paid.
-
Translations
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Verb
dun (third-person singular simple present duns, present participle dunning, simple past and past participle dunned)
- (transitive) To ask or beset a debtor for payment.
- 1768, Jonathan Swift, The Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift, London: C. Bathurst, OCLC 459163337, Miscellanies in Verse, page 309:
- And hath she sent so soon to dun?
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292:Folio Society 1973, p. 577:
- Of all he had received from Lady Bellaston, not above five guineas remained and that very morning he had been dunned by a tradesman for twice that sum.
-
- (transitive) To harass by continually repeating e.g. a request.
- 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin 2010, p. 107:
- Rich bitches who had to be dunned for their milk bills would pay him right now.
- 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin 2010, p. 107:
Derived terms
- dun letter
Translations
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Etymology 3
Uncertain; likely from the color.
Noun
dun (plural duns)
- (countable) A newly hatched, immature mayfly; a mayfly subimago.
- 1966, John Harris, An Angler's Entomology, New York: Barnes, OCLC 3612670, page 16:
- Also, duns are dull and generally sober colored, whilst spinners are more brightly colored and shining and their wings are clear and transparent.
-
- (countable, fishing) A fly made to resemble the mayfly subimago.
- 1676, Charles Cotton, The Compleat Angler. Being Instructions how to Angle for a Trout or Grayling in a Clear Stream, London: Richard Marriott, and Henry Brome, OCLC 228732346, March, page 59:
- We have besides for this Month a little Dun call'd a whirling Dun (though it is not the whirling Dun indeed, which is one of the best Flies we have) and for this the dubbing must be of the bottom fur of a Squirrels tail and the wing of the grey feather of a Drake.
-
Synonyms
- subimago
Translations
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Etymology 4
From Irish dún or Scottish Gaelic dùn, from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“fortress”). Cognate with Welsh dinas (“city”). Doublet of town.
Alternative forms
- doon
- dún
Noun
dun (plural duns)
- An ancient or medieval fortification; especially a hill-fort in Scotland or Ireland.
- 1858, Henry MacLauchlan, Memoir written during a survey of the Roman Wall, through the counties of Northumberland and Cumberland, in the years 1852-1854, London: Printed for private circulation, OCLC 14866297, page 9:
- Pampedun, or Pandon, was probably a place of residence from the earliest times; its sheltered situation for boats, and proximity to the ancient way over the river, protected perhaps by a dun or camp, on the height above [...] possibly gave origin to the ancient name of the place, Pampedun, from the British pant, a hollow, and dun, a fort or camp, Pant-y-dun.
- (archeology) A structure in the Orkney or Shetland islands or in Scotland consisting of a roundhouse surrounded by a circular wall; a broch.
- 2013, T.J. Clarkson, The Makers of Scotland: Picts, Romans, Gaels and Vikings, Edinburgh: Birlinn, →ISBN:
- Smaller than the broch was the dun, another type of stone-built 'roundhouse'.
-
Etymology 5
See do.
Verb
dun
- (nonstandard, informal) Eye dialect spelling of done: past participle of do
- Now, ya dun it!
- 1895 May 1, S.L.N. Foote, “Correspondence”, in International Journal of Medicine and Surgery, volume 8, retrieved 2016–10–13, page 194:
- ...a wise old lady exclaimed, "Why Mrs. M. warn't you orful skeerd wunst when you seed a dog fight? [...] an that ere big yaller dog bit orf your baby's hand that minit; in cors he dun it, so now that settles it."
- 2001 April 1, Robert Frost, Poems by Robert Frost: A Boy's Will and North of Boston, Penguin, →ISBN, OCLC 1002077375:
- “Oh, Because I want their dollar.
I don't want Anything they've not got. I never dun.
I'm there, and they can pay me if they like.
I go nowhere on purpose: I happen by.
Sorry there is no cup to give you a drink. […]
- (nonstandard, informal) Pronunciation spelling of don't: contraction of do + not.
- 1901, Gilbert Parker, The Right of Way, New York and London: Harper, OCLC 169519:
- Fwhere's he come from, I dun'no'. French or English, I dun'no'. But a gintleman born, I know.
-
Etymology 6
Likely from the color of fish so prepared.
Verb
dun (third-person singular simple present duns, present participle dunning, simple past and past participle dunned)
- (transitive, dated) To cure, as codfish, by laying them, after salting, in a pile in a dark place, covered with saltgrass or a similar substance.
- 1832, James Thacher, History of Plymouth; from its first settlement in 1620, to the year 1832, Boston: Marsh, Capen & Lyon, OCLC 78447431, page 317:
- Dun-fish are of a superior quality for the table, and are cured in such a manner as to give them a dun or brownish color. Fish for dunning are caught early in spring, and sometimes February, at the Isle of Shoals.
-
Etymology 7
See dune.
Noun
dun (plural duns)
- A mound or small hill.
Etymology 8
Imitative.
Interjection
dun
- Imitating a deep bass note, such as that found in suspenseful music.
- 2009, Carrie Tucker, I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook, Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, →ISBN:
- How would you deal with that power? (Dun, dun, DUN! Insert dramatic music here.)
- 2015, Lisa Dombrowski, The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I’ll Kill You, page 113:
- Dun, dun! Dun, dun! As the music continues, the long shot of Griff's walk is broken down into repeating tight shots of his face, his legs, and his shifting point of view of Brockie.
- 2016, Helen Russell, Leap Year: How small steps can make a giant difference:
- 'DUN DUN DUN DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN! DUN DUN DUN DUNDUN-DUN-DUN... PRESSURE!' By 2.05 a.m. I am Very Awake Indeed and the catastrophising continues.
- 2020, Spencer Hamilton, The Fear: A Pandemic Horror Novel:
- Whenever that iconic riff in the score cued up—Dun dun ... dun dun ... dun dun dun dun dun-dun-dun-dun ... —Jack's heart would race, and she'd feel the fear on her skin.
-
Related terms
- dun dun dun
Noun
dun (plural duns)
- Alternative form of dhoon (“Himalayan valley”)
See also
- dun comma
- dun dun
References
- dun in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Anagrams
- DNU, und
Bambara
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [dũ˦]
Verb
dun
- to eat
References
- 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
Basque
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dun/, [d̪ũn]
Verb
dun
- Informal second-person singular feminine (hik), taking third-person singular (hura) as direct object, present indicative form of izan.
Usage notes
Linguistically, this verb form can be seen as belonging to the reconstructed citation form edun instead of izan.
Danish
Etymology
From Old Norse dúnn (“down”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /duːn/, [d̥uːˀn]
Noun
dun n (singular definite dunet, plural indefinite dun)
- down (soft, immature feathers)
Inflection
neuter gender | Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | dun | dunet | dun | dunene |
genitive | duns | dunets | duns | dunenes |
See also
- “dun” in Den Danske Ordbog
- “dun” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog
- dun on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʏn/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: dun
- Rhymes: -ʏn
- Homophone: Dun
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch dunne, from Old Dutch *thunni, from Proto-West Germanic *þunnī, from Proto-Germanic *þunnuz. Cognate with English thin (Compare West-Flemish thinne).
Adjective
dun (comparative dunner, superlative dunst)
- thin, slender
- sparse
- (liquid) runny
Inflection
Inflection of dun | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
uninflected | dun | |||
inflected | dunne | |||
comparative | dunner | |||
positive | comparative | superlative | ||
predicative/adverbial | dun | dunner | het dunst het dunste | |
indefinite | m./f. sing. | dunne | dunnere | dunste |
n. sing. | dun | dunner | dunste | |
plural | dunne | dunnere | dunste | |
definite | dunne | dunnere | dunste | |
partitive | duns | dunners | — |
Antonyms
- dicht, dik
Derived terms
- dunnen, verdunnen
- dundoek
- dunne darm
- flinterdun
Descendants
- Afrikaans: dun
- Berbice Creole Dutch: doni
- Negerhollands: dun, din
- → Aukan: deni, doin
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
dun
- first-person singular present indicative of dunnen
- imperative of dunnen
Galician
Etymology
From de (“of”) + un (“masculine singular indefinite article”).
Contraction
dun m (feminine dunha, masculine plural duns, feminine plural dunhas)
- Contraction of de un. From a; of a
Further reading
- “dun, dunha” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.
German
Alternative forms
- duhn
Etymology
Borrowed from Low German duun.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /duːn/
Audio (file)
Adjective
dun (strong nominative masculine singular duner, comparative duner, superlative am dunsten)
- (colloquial, chiefly Northern Germany) drunk
- 1998, “Du (äh, Du)”, in Power, performed by Fischmob:
- Ich war dun die Nacht
Und hatte mit chemischen Drogen aus Amerika herumexperimentiert
Bis ich das Bewußtsein verlor- I was drunk that night / and had experimented with synthetic drugs from America / until I lost consciousness
-
Declension
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | er ist dun | sie ist dun | es ist dun | sie sind dun | |
strong declension (without article) | nominative | duner | dune | dunes | dune |
genitive | dunen | duner | dunen | duner | |
dative | dunem | duner | dunem | dunen | |
accusative | dunen | dune | dunes | dune | |
weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der dune | die dune | das dune | die dunen |
genitive | des dunen | der dunen | des dunen | der dunen | |
dative | dem dunen | der dunen | dem dunen | den dunen | |
accusative | den dunen | die dune | das dune | die dunen | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein duner | eine dune | ein dunes | (keine) dunen |
genitive | eines dunen | einer dunen | eines dunen | (keiner) dunen | |
dative | einem dunen | einer dunen | einem dunen | (keinen) dunen | |
accusative | einen dunen | eine dune | ein dunes | (keine) dunen |
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | er ist duner | sie ist duner | es ist duner | sie sind duner | |
strong declension (without article) | nominative | dunerer | dunere | duneres | dunere |
genitive | duneren | dunerer | duneren | dunerer | |
dative | dunerem | dunerer | dunerem | duneren | |
accusative | duneren | dunere | duneres | dunere | |
weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der dunere | die dunere | das dunere | die duneren |
genitive | des duneren | der duneren | des duneren | der duneren | |
dative | dem duneren | der duneren | dem duneren | den duneren | |
accusative | den duneren | die dunere | das dunere | die duneren | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein dunerer | eine dunere | ein duneres | (keine) duneren |
genitive | eines duneren | einer duneren | eines duneren | (keiner) duneren | |
dative | einem duneren | einer duneren | einem duneren | (keinen) duneren | |
accusative | einen duneren | eine dunere | ein duneres | (keine) duneren |
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | er ist am dunsten | sie ist am dunsten | es ist am dunsten | sie sind am dunsten | |
strong declension (without article) | nominative | dunster | dunste | dunstes | dunste |
genitive | dunsten | dunster | dunsten | dunster | |
dative | dunstem | dunster | dunstem | dunsten | |
accusative | dunsten | dunste | dunstes | dunste | |
weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der dunste | die dunste | das dunste | die dunsten |
genitive | des dunsten | der dunsten | des dunsten | der dunsten | |
dative | dem dunsten | der dunsten | dem dunsten | den dunsten | |
accusative | den dunsten | die dunste | das dunste | die dunsten | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein dunster | eine dunste | ein dunstes | (keine) dunsten |
genitive | eines dunsten | einer dunsten | eines dunsten | (keiner) dunsten | |
dative | einem dunsten | einer dunsten | einem dunsten | (keinen) dunsten | |
accusative | einen dunsten | eine dunste | ein dunstes | (keine) dunsten |
Further reading
- “dun” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “dun” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “dun” in Duden online
Hunsrik
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tuːn/, /toːn/
Verb
dun
- (auxiliary, with an infinitive) will; to be going (to do something); forms the future tense
- Ich dun das mache.
- I will do that.
- (auxiliary, with an infinitive) to be; forms the progressive aspect
- Was dun-se mache.
- What are they doing.
- to put, to place, to add
- Du mol en bissje Eis in de Suco.
- Put some ice in the juice.
Inflection
infinitive | dun | |
---|---|---|
past participle | gedun | |
auxiliary | hon | |
present tense | conditional tense | |
1st person singular | dun | dääd |
2nd person singular | dust | dääst |
3rd person singular | dud | dääd |
1st person plural | dun | dääde |
2nd person plural | dud | dääd |
3rd person plural | dun | dääde |
imperative | ||
2nd person singular | du | |
2nd person plural | dud | |
Derived terms
- mitdun
- wechdun
Further reading
- Online Hunsrik Dictionary
Kiput
Etymology
From Proto-North Sarawak *daqun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *dahun (compare Malay daun).
Noun
dun
- leaf
Mandarin
Romanization
dun
- Nonstandard spelling of dūn.
- Nonstandard spelling of dǔn.
- Nonstandard spelling of dùn.
Usage notes
- English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old Norse dúnn.
Noun
dun f or m (definite singular duna or dunen, indefinite plural duner, definite plural dunene)
dun n (definite singular dunet, indefinite plural dun, definite plural duna or dunene)
- down (soft, fine fluffy feathers)
References
- “dun” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “dun” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse dúnn m.
Noun
dun f or n (definite singular duna or dunet, indefinite plural duner or dun, definite plural dunene or duna)
- down (soft, fine fluffy feathers)
References
- “dun” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *dūnǭ (“hill, sand dune”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, fume, raise dust”); or alternatively a late borrowing from Proto-Celtic *dūnom from the same Proto-Indo-European source.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /duːn/
Noun
dūn f
- hill, mountain
Declension
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
nominative | dūn | dūna, dūne |
accusative | dūne | dūna, dūne |
genitive | dūne | dūna |
dative | dūne | dūnum |
Derived terms
- ofdune
Descendants
- English: down
Old French
Etymology
From Latin donum.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dun/
Noun
dun m (oblique plural duns, nominative singular duns, nominative plural dun)
- (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of don
- c. 1150, Turoldus, La Chanson de Roland:
- E tute Espaigne tendrat par vostre dun
- And all of Spain he will hold as your gift
-
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse dúnn (“down”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʉːn/
Noun
dun n
- down, what grows on young birds
Declension
Declension of dun | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | dun | dunet | dun | dunen |
Genitive | duns | dunets | duns | dunens |
Related terms
- dunboll
- dunbolster
- dunbädd
- dunig
- dunighet
- dunjacka
- dunkudde
- dunlätt
- dunmjuk
- duntäcke
- dununge
- dunört
- ejderdun
- gåsdun
References
- dun in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
Volapük
Etymology
Borrowed from German tun and English do.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dun/
Noun
dun (nominative plural duns)
- deed, action, act, doing
Declension
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | dun | duns |
genitive | duna | dunas |
dative | dune | dunes |
accusative | duni | dunis |
vocative 1 | o dun! | o duns! |
predicative 2 | dunu | dunus |
- 1 status as a case is disputed
- 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only
Derived terms
- dunön
Wolof
Noun
dun (definite form dun bi)
- island
Yoruba
Alternative forms
- yùn (Ekiti, Ijebu, Idanre)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dũ̀/
Verb
dùn
- to be sweet, to be pleasant
Usage notes
- it induces a high tone syllable when followed by another verb, becoming dùn-ún and subcategorizes an embedded clause.
Derived terms
- adùn (“sweetness”)
- dídùn (“sweet”)
- gbádùn (“to enjoy”)
- ìdùn
- ìdùnnú (“happiness”)
- jadùn
- kúndùn
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dũ̀/
Verb
dùn
- to hurt, to be painful (physically)
- egbò ń dùn mí ― The ulcer is hurting me
- to be painful (mentally)
- ó dùn mí pé ó kú ― It pained me that she died
Usage notes
- dun before a direct object
Derived terms
- ìdùn
- adùn (“pain”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dṹ/
Verb
dún
- (transitive) to emit a sound
- ẹyẹ yìí dún ― This bird made a sound
Derived terms
- ìdún (“sonority”)
- adún (“sonorous”)