Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DAP'PLE, v.t.

To spot; to variegate with spots. The gentle day Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray. Shak. The dappled pink, and blushing rose. Prior.

DAP'PLED, pp.

Spotted; variegated with spots of different colors or shades of color.

DAP'PLING, ppr.

Variegating with spots.

DAR, or DART, n.

A fish found in the Severn. Bailey.

DARE, n.¹

Defiance; challenge. [Not used.] Shak.

DARE, n.²

A small fish, the same as the dace. Encyc. Johnson.

DARE, v.i. [pret. durst. Sax. dearran, durran; D. darren, durven; G. dürfen; Sw. dierf, bold; dierfvas, to dare, and töras, to dare; Dan. tör, to dare, and tör, dry, torrid; L. torreo; Dan. törhed, dryness, barrenness; törstig, thirsty. The German dürfen, compounded, bedürfen, signifies to want, to need, to lack, and this in Dutch is derven. The Sw. dåre, rash, mad, sottish, dåra, to infatuate, Dan. daarer, may be of the same family. The Gr. θαρῤεω, and Russ. derzayu, to dare, are evidently the same word. Ar. ذَأرَ dhaura, to be bold, audacious; to be angry, or averse; to be terrified, to flee. So in Sw. darra, to tremble. The sense of boldness, daring, is sometimes from the sense of advancing; but some of the senses of these words indicate the sense of receding.]

To have courage for any purpose; to have strength of mind or hardihood to undertake any thing; to be bold enough; not to be afraid; to venture; to be adventurous. I dare do all that may become a man. Shak. Dare any of you go to law before the unjust? 1 Cor. vi. None of his disciples durst ask him, who are thou. John xxi. In this intransitive sense, dare is not generally followed by the sign to before another verb in the infinitive; though to may be used with propriety. In German, the verb is numbered among the auxiliaries. In the transitive form, it is regular: thus,

DARE, v.t. [pret. and pp. dared.]

To challenge; to provoke; to defy; as, to dare a man to fight. Time, I dare thee to discover. Such a youth, and such a lover. Dryden. To dare larks, to catch them by means of a looking-glass, or by keeping a bird of prey hovering aloft, which keeps them in amaze till caught; to terrify or amaze. Johnson. Dryden.

DAR'ED, pp.

Challenged; defied.

DARE'FUL, a.

Full of defiance. [Not used.] Shak.

DAR'ER, n.

One who dares or defies.

DAR'IC, n.

A gold coin of Darius the Mede, value about 556 cents.

DAR'ING, n.

A bold act; a hazardous attempt. Southey.

DAR'ING, ppr.

1. Having courage sufficient for a purpose; challenging; defying.
2. adj. Bold; courageous; intrepid; fearless; adventurous; brave; stout. Grieve not, O daring prince, that noble heart. Pope.
3. Audacious; impudently bold and defying; as in heaven-daring, defying Almighty power.

DAR'ING-LY, adv.

Boldly; courageously; fearlessly; impudently. The principles of our holy religion are daringly attacked from the press. Anon.

DAR'ING-NESS, n.

Boldness; courageousness; audaciousness.

DARK, a. [Sax. deorc; Ir. dorcha; Pers. تِيَره tirah, dark; تَارِيْك tarik, dark, darkness. See Class Dr, No. 15.]

1. Destitute of light; obscure. A dark atmosphere is one which prevents vision.
2. Wholly or partially black; having the quality opposite to white; as, a dark color or substance.
3. Gloomy; disheartening: having unfavorable prospects; as, a dark time in political affairs. There is, in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. Irving.
4. Obscure; not easily understood or explained; as, a dark passage in an author; a dark saying.
5. Mysterious; as, the ways of Providence are often dark to human reason.
6. Not enlightened with knowledge; destitute of learning and science; rude; ignorant; as, a dark age.
7. Not vivid; partially black. Lev. xiii.
8. Blind. [Not in use.] Dryden.
9. Gloomy; not cheerful; as, a dark temper. Addison.
10. Obscure; concealed; secret; not understood; as, a dark design.
11. Unclean; foul. Milton.
12. Opake. But dark and opake are not synonymous. Chalk is opake, but not dark.
13. Keeping designs concealed. The dark unrelenting Tiberius. Gibbon.

DARK, n. [Sans. tareki.]

1. Darkness; obscurity; the absence of light. We say, we can hear in the dark. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? Ps. lxxxviii.
2. Obscurity; secrecy; a state unknown; as, things done in the dark.
3. Obscurity; a state of ignorance; as, we are all in the dark.

DARK, v.t.

To darken; to obscure. [Obs.]

DARK-BROW-ED, a.

Stern of aspect; frowning; as, dark-browed Hotspur. Percy's Masque.

DARK-COL-OR-ED, a.

Having a dark hue. Smith.

DARK'EN, v.i.

To grow dark or darker; also, to grow less white or clear.

DARK'EN, v.t. [dàrkn; Sax. adeorcian.]

1. To make dark; to deprive of light; as, close the shutters and darken the room.
2. To obscure; to cloud. His confidence seldom darkened his foresight. Bacon.
3. To make black. The locusts darkened the land. Ex. x.
4. To make dim; to deprive of vision. Let their eyes be darkened. Rom. xi.
5. To render gloomy; as, all joy is darkened. Is. xxiv.
6. To deprive of intellectual vision; to render ignorant or stupid. Their foolish heart was darkened. Rom. i. Having the understanding darkened. Eph. iv.
7. To obscure; to perplex; to render less clear or intelligible. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Job xxxviii.
8. To render less white or clear; to tan; as, a burning sun darkens the complexion.
9. To sully; to make foul. Tillotson.

DARK'EN-ED, pp.

Deprived of light; obscured; rendered dim; made black; made ignorant.

DARK'EN-ER, n.

That which darkens.