DARK


Meaning of DARK in English

adj. & n.

--adj.

1. with little or no light.

2 of a deep or sombre colour.

3 (of a person) with deep brown or black hair, complexion, or skin.

4 gloomy, depressing, dismal (dark thoughts).

5 evil, sinister (dark deeds).

6 sullen, angry (a dark mood).

7 remote, secret, mysterious, little-known (the dark and distant past; keep it dark).

8 ignorant, unenlightened.

--n.

1. absence of light.

2 nightfall (don't go out after dark).

3 a lack of knowledge.

4 a dark area or colour, esp. in painting (the skilled use of lights and darks).

Phrases and idioms:

the Dark Ages (or Age)

1. the period of European history preceding the Middle Ages, esp. the 5th-10th c.

2 any period of supposed unenlightenment. the Dark Continent a name for Africa, esp. when little known to Europeans. dark glasses spectacles with dark-tinted lenses. dark horse a little-known person who is unexpectedly successful or prominent. dark star an invisible star known to exist from reception of physical data other than light. in the dark lacking information.

Derivatives:

darkish adj. darkly adv. darkness n. darksome poet. adj.

Etymology: OE deorc prob. f. Gmc

Oxford English vocab.      Оксфордский английский словарь.