Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DARK'EN-ING, ppr.

Depriving of light; obscuring; making black, or less white or clear; clouding.

DARK-EY-ED, a.

Having dark eyes.

DARK'HOUSE, n.

An old word for a mad-house. Shak.

DARK-ISH, a.

Dusky; somewhat dark.

DARK'LING, a.

Being in the dark, or without light; a poetical word. Milton. Shak.

DARK'LY, adv.

Obscurely; dimly; blindly; uncertainly; with imperfect light, clearness or knowledge. They learn only what tradition has darkly conveyed to them. Anon.

DARK-MIND-ED, a.

Having a dark, close or revengeful mind. Baxter.

DARK'NESS, n.

1. Absence of light. And darkness was on the face of the deep. Gen. i.
2. Obscurity; want of clearness or perspicuity; that quality or state which renders any thing difficult to be understood; as, the darkness of counsels.
3. A state of being intellectually clouded; ignorance. Men loved darkness rather than light. John iii.
4. A private place; secrecy; privacy. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light. Matth. x.
5. Infernal gloom; hell; as, utter darkness. Matth. xxii.
6. Great trouble and distress; calamities; perplexities. A day of clouds and thick darkness. Joel ii. Is. viii.
7. Empire of Satan. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness. Col. i.
8. Opakeness. Land of darkness, the grave. Job x.

DARK'SOME, a.

Dark; gloomy; obscure; as, a darksome house; a darksome cloud. Milton. Dryden.

DARK-SOUL-ED, a.

Having a dark soul.

DARK'-WORK-ING, a.

Working in darkness, or in secrecy. Shak.

DAR'LING, a. [Sax. deorling; deor, dear, and ling, which primarily denotes likeness, and in some words, is a diminutive. So in G. liebling, loveling, D. lieveling. See Dear.]

Dearly beloved; favorite; regarded with great kindness and tenderness; as, a darling child; a darling science. Watts.

DAR'LING, n.

One much beloved; a favorite; as, that son was the darling of his father.

DARN, n.

A place mended by darning.

DARN, v.t. [W. darn; Arm. darn; Fr. darne; a piece or patch.]

To mend a rent or hole, by imitating the texture of the cloth or stuff with yarn or thread and a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread. It is used particularly of stockings. Gay. Swift.

DARN'ED, pp.

Mended by imitating the texture of the cloth.

DARN'EL, n.

A plant of the genus Lolium, a kind of grass; the most remarkable species are the red darnel or rye-grass, and the white darnel.

DARN'ER, n.

One who mends by darning.

DARN'ING, n.

The act of mending, as a hole in a garment.

DARN'ING, ppr.

Mending in imitation of the original texture; sewing together; as, a torn stocking, or cloth.

DAR'RAIN, v.t. [Norm. dareigner, derener, dereigner, deraigner, to prove, to testify, to clear himself, to institute; noun, darrein, or derene, or d'reigne, proof; also, derreiner, to endeavor. In Chaucer, the word is interpreted to contest. But for thou art a worthy gentil knight, / And wilnest to darraine hire by bataille. The word is probably compound. But neither the origin nor the signification is obvious.]

To prepare, or to order; or to try; to endeavor; to prove; to apply to the contest. [Obs.] Carew. Spenser. Shak.

DART, n. [Fr. dard; Arm. dared or dard; It. Sp. and Port. dardo; Russ. drot. In Sw. dart is a dagger. The word is from some verb signifying to throw or thrust. In Gr. δορυ is a spear or lance.]

1. A pointed missile weapon to be thrown by the hand; a short lance. Dryden.
2. Any missile weapon; that which pierces and wounds. And from about her shot darts of desire.

DART, v.i.

1. To fly or shoot, as a dart; to fly rapidly.
2. To spring and run with velocity; to start suddenly and run; as, the deer darted from the thicket.

DART, v.t.

1. To throw a pointed instrument with a sudden thrust; as, to dart a javelin. Dryden.
2. To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send; to emit; to shoot; applied to small objects which pass with velocity; as, the sun darts his beams on the earth. Or what ill eyes malignant glances dart. Pope.

DART'ED, pp.

Thrown or hurled as a pointed instrument; sent with velocity.