Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To mend (a garment, for example) by weaving thread or yarn across a gap or hole.
  • intransitive verb To repair a hole, as in a garment, by weaving thread or yarn across it.
  • noun A hole repaired by weaving thread or yarn across it.
  • interjection Used to express dissatisfaction or annoyance.
  • adverb & adjective Damn.
  • transitive verb To damn.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To mend by filling in a rent or hole with yarn or thread (usually like that of the fabric) by means of a needle; repair by interweaving with yarn or thread.
  • Same as dern.
  • noun A darned patch.
  • To damn (when used as a colloquial oath): commonly used as an exclamation.

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

  • noun A place mended by darning.
  • transitive verb A colloquial euphemism for damn.
  • transitive verb To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread.
  • transitive verb See under Last.
  • transitive verb (Zoöl.) Any species of dragon fly, having a long, cylindrical body, resembling a needle. These flies are harmless and without stings. [In this sense, usually written with a hyphen.] Called also devil's darning-needle.

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

  • verb transitive, sewing To repair by stitching with thread or yarn, particularly by using a needle to construct a weave across a damaged area of fabric.
  • adjective euphemistic Damn.
  • adverb degree, euphemistic Damned.
  • interjection euphemistic Damn.
  • verb transitive Euphemism of damn.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb repair by sewing
  • noun something of little value
  • noun sewing that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French dialectal darner, perhaps from Norman French darne, piece, from Breton darn.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of damn.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English dernen ("to keep secret, hide, conceal (a hole)"), from Old English diernan ("to hide, conceal"), from dierne ("secret"), from Proto-Germanic *darnijaz (“secret”). More at dern.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Alteration of damn

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Examples

  • Otherwise it reads as an aggressive attack without just cause. on January 5, 2008 at 12: 41 am | Reply notellin darn IG got in first, should not have typed so much on January 5, 2008 at 1: 18 am | Reply Southern town cop

    Final Fantasy « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2008

  • Maybe I'm being near-sighted here, but I can't name a darn mystery author, one who solely writes mysteries, who'd pull in those numbers to a live gig.

    Fame 2008

  • Maybe I'm being near-sighted here, but I can't name a darn mystery author, one who solely writes mysteries, who'd pull in those numbers to a live gig.

    May 2008 2008

  • Maybe I'm being near-sighted here, but I can't name a darn mystery author, one who solely writes mysteries, who'd pull in those numbers to a live gig.

    Fame 2008

  • I'd worked with her before on Alias and she's always happy and always pleasant to everyone really and when she swears she says thing like 'darnit' and 'darn' - now even The Waltons go a bit (further).

    unknown title 2009

  • Keep this compulsory redistribution of wealth up from those who make it to those who'd like it, and they orta just call the darn things

    Neptunus Lex 2008

  • Come on now, "gotcha" and "darn" - these are the words we want to hear from a VP?

    WordPress.com News 2008

  • _'a la Labrador_ (alias darn goods), followed by black coffee.

    The Long Labrador Trail Dillon Wallace 1901

  • I can tell you growing up my Grama didn't have a problem with us kids saying "darn" but she hit the roof if you said "damn" or "shut up" for that matter.

    Does "Frick" = "Fuck"? Tyler 2009

  • ` ` We sort of got frustrated a little bit and said 'darn' and got two techs, '' Paul said.

    USATODAY.com 2008

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