Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
DARKEN
darken
(verb) make dark or darker; “darken a room”
darken
(verb) become dark or darker; “The sky darkened”
darken
(verb) tarnish or stain; “a scandal that darkened the family’s good name”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
darken (third-person singular simple present darkens, present participle darkening, simple past and past participle darkened)
(transitive) To make dark or darker by reducing light.
(intransitive) To become dark or darker (having less light).
(impersonal) To get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).
(transitive) To make dark or darker in colour.
(intransitive) To become dark or darker in colour.
(transitive) To render gloomy, darker in mood.
(intransitive) To become gloomy, darker in mood.
(transitive) To blind, impair the eyesight.
(intransitive) To be blinded, lose one’s eyesight.
(transitive) To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.
(transitive) To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
Synonyms
• blacken
Anagrams
• Kendra, danker, de-rank, derank, endark, kendra, narked, ranked
Source: Wiktionary
Dark"en, v. t. [Imp. & p. p. Darkened; p. pr. & vb. n. Darkening.] Etym: [AS. deorcian. See Dark, a.]
1. To make dark or black; to deprite of light; to obscure; as, a darkened room. They [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened. Ex. x. 15. So spake the Sovran Voice; and clouds began To darken all the hill. Milton.
2. To render dim; to deprive of vision. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Rom. xi. 10.
3. To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible. Such was his wisdom that his confidence did seldom darkenhis foresight. Bacon. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge Job. xxxviii. 2.
4. To cast a gloom upon. With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not The mirth of the feast. Shak.
5. To make foul; to sully; to tarnish. I must not think there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness. Shak.
Dark"en, v. i.
Definition: To grow or darker.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
23 April 2025
UNMARRIED
(adjective) not married or related to the unmarried state; “unmarried men and women”; “unmarried life”; “sex and the single girl”; “single parenthood”; “are you married or single?”
Coffee Trivia
