darkness
/ˈdɑːrknəs/
noun
Origin
Old English
deorc — dark, gloomy
Overview
Meaning Now
- The partial or total absence of light.
- A state or quality of being somber, gloomy, or evil.
Literal older meaning
the quality or state of being dark
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
deorcness
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The word stems from the Old English 'deorc', which shares a common Germanic ancestor with words implying lack of brightness. In historical literature, darkness has frequently been used as a metaphor for ignorance, sin, or death, reflecting a universal symbolic association between light and divinity or knowledge.
Evolution
- Old English
deorcness
“darkness, obscurity”
- Middle English
derknesse
“lack of light, shadow”
- Early Modern English
darkness
“absence of light”
Connections
Word parts
dark
root
having little or no light
ness
suffix
state, condition, or quality
Related across languages
Old Saxon
diokni
darkness
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Related to darkness
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.