dawn
noun
- time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise
- act or process of beginning to become light in the morning or open a time period
verb
- come into understanding
- to begin to become light in the morning, an opening time period
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /dɔːn/ / /dɔn/ / /dɑn/
name
Etymology: From dawn.
- A female given name from English sometimes given to a girl born at that time of day.
“"Thomas, if it's a boy," she said, "after my uncle. But if it's a girl I'd like something fancy for a first name." "What about Dawn?" she said. "I like the sound of Dawn. Then Mary for a second name. Dawn Mary Parker, it sounds sweet."”
“Dawn, go away, I’m no good for you.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English dawnen, either a back-formation from dawnynge or a modification of dawen (“to dawn”) after it. The noun is from the verb.
- The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise.
- The rising of the sun.
“Every act of a Roman, from birth to death, from dawn to night, was controlled and supervised by some presiding deity.”
- The time when the sun rises.
“She rose before dawn to meet the train.”
- The earliest phase of something.
“The dawn of civilization didn't imply twilight of barbarity.”
“In the Edinburgh area, Leith and neighbouring Granton have only one terminal station where formerly there were four, and the long-established ferry from Granton to Burntisland, the history of which stretches back to the dawn of Scottish railways, is no more.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English dawnen, either a back-formation from dawnynge or a modification of dawen (“to dawn”) after it. The noun is from the verb.
- To begin to brighten with daylight.
“A new day dawns.”
“In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene[…]to see the sepulchre.”
- To start to appear or become obvious.
“I don’t want to be there when the truth dawns on him.”
“The realization dawned on him that few would pass that final exam.”
- To begin to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand.
“when life awakes, and dawns at every line”
“in dawning youth”