dark

adj

Etymology: From Middle English derk, from Old English deorc, from Proto-West Germanic *derk (“dark”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg- (“dim, dull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“dull, dirty”).

1. Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.

   “The room was too dark for reading.”

   “It was a dark and stormy night, the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets […]”

2. Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.

   “Dark signals should be treated as all-way stop signs.”

3. Having an absolute or (more often) relative lack of light.

   “He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.”

4. Transmitting, reflecting, or receiving inadequate light to render timely discernment or comprehension
5. Dull or deeper in hue; not bright or light.

   “My sister’s hair is darker than mine.”

   “Her skin grew dark with a suntan.”

6. Ambiguously or unclearly expressed.

   “What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?”

   “What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.”

7. Marked by or conducted with secrecy.

   “The dark side of the moon.”

   “dark money”

8. Marked by or conducted with secrecy.

   “The first favourite was never heard of, the second favourite was never seen after the distance post, all the ten-to-oners were in the rear, and a dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless [Duke of] St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph.”

9. Without moral or spiritual light; sinister, malevolent, malign.

   “a dark villain”

   “a dark deed”

10. Conducive to hopelessness; depressing or bleak.

    “The Great Depression was a dark time.”

    “The film was a dark psychological thriller.”

11. Lacking progress in science or the arts.

    “The dark ages began after the collapse of the Roman Empire.”

    “The Greek Dark Ages began after the Bronze Age collapse.”

12. Extremely sad, depressing, or somber, typically due to, or marked by, a tragic or undesirable event.

    “September 11, 2001, the day when four terrorist attacks destroyed the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, is often referred to as America’s dark day.”

13. With emphasis placed on the unpleasant and macabre aspects of life; said of a work of fiction, a work of nonfiction presented in narrative form, or a portion of either.

    “The ending of this book is rather dark.”

    “This show is full of dark humor.”

14. Off the air; not transmitting.

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English derk, derke, dirke, dyrke, from the adjective (see above), or possibly from an unrecorded Old English *dierce, *diercu (“dark, darkness”).

1. A complete or (more often) partial absence of light.

   “Dark surrounds us completely.”

   “Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out.”

2. Ignorance.

   “We kept him in the dark.”

   “The lawyer was left in the dark as to why the jury was dismissed.”

3. Nightfall.

   “It was after dark before we got to playing baseball.”

4. A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, etc.

   “The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights.”

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg- Proto-Indo-European *dʰerg-o-s Proto-Germanic *derkaz? Proto-West Germanic *derk Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *derkōn Old English deorcian Middle English derken English dark Inherited from Middle English derken, from Old English deorcian, from Proto-West Germanic *derkōn, from *derk (“dirty, dark”) + *-ōn.

1. To grow or become dark, darken.
2. To remain in the dark, lurk, lie hidden or concealed.

   “To dark is still used in Swaledale (Yorkshire) in the sense of to lie hid, as, 'Te rattens [rats] mun ha bin darkin whel nu [till now]; we hannot heerd tem tis last fortnith'.”

3. To make dark, darken; to obscure.