Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DEN, n. [Sax. den, dene, denn, a valley; It. tana; Fr. taniere; Ir. tuinnedhe.]

1. A cave or hollow place in the earth; usually applied to a cave, pit, or subterraneous recess, used for concealment, shelter, protection, or security; as, a lion's den; a den of robbers or thieves. The beasts go into dens. – Job xxxvii. The children of Israel made themselves dens. – Judges vi.
2. As a termination, in names of places, it denotes the place to be in a valley or near a wood.