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