Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Hidden; secret; private.
  • To hide; secrete, as in a hole.
  • To hide one's self; skulk.
  • noun Same as dearn.
  • Same as darn, a minced form of damn. Also written durn.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Local Eng. A gatepost or doorpost.
  • adjective obsolete Hidden; concealed; secret.
  • adjective obsolete Solitary; sad.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Hidden; secret; private.
  • noun A secret; secrecy.
  • noun A secret place; hiding.
  • noun An obscure language.
  • noun Darkness; obscurity.
  • verb transitive To hide; secrete, as in a hole.
  • verb intransitive To hide oneself; skulk.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English dern, derne, from Old English dyrne, dierne ("hidden, secret, retired, obscure, remote, eluding detection, concealed, deceitful, evil, magical"), from Proto-Germanic *darnijaz (“hidden, masked”), from Proto-Indo-European *dher(ǝ)-, *dhrē- (“to hold, hold tight, support”). Cognate with Old Frisian dern, dren ("hidden, secret"), Old Saxon derni ("hidden, secret"), Old High German tarni ("hidden").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English dern, derne, from Old English dyrne, dierne ("secret"), from Proto-Germanic *darnijan (“secret”), from Proto-Indo-European *dher(ǝ)-, *dhrē- (“to hold, hold tight, support”). See below.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English dernen, dærnen, from Old English dyrnan, diernan ("to keep secret, conceal, hide, restrain, repress, hide oneself"), from Proto-Germanic *darnijanan (“to conceal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dher(ǝ)-, *dhrē- (“to hold, hold tight, support”). Cognate with Old Saxon dernian ("to conceal"), German tarnen ("to camougflage, disguise"). See also darn, tarnish.

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Examples

Comments

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  • (adjective) - Of actions proceeding in secret, or in the dark; kept concealed; hence of evil or deceitful nature. Of persons, secret in purpose or action; reserved; hence, underhand, sly, crafty. Of a person, treated as a confidant; entrusted with hidden matters. Of places, serving well to conceal, as lying out of the way.

    --Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1897

    January 16, 2018