adj
Meaning 1
Dark; growing dark; darkening.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
darkling
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈdɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ/
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/ˈdɑː(ɹ)k(ə)lɪŋ/ Etymology 3
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)klɪŋ
adj
Meaning 2
Obscure; taking place unseen, as if in the dark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 3
In the dark; in obscurity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Darkness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A child of darkness; someone dark by nature or who has grown dark in character.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A creature that lives in the dark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: fantasy
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A demon.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
present participle and gerund of darkle
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 9
(poetic) occurring in the dark or night
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a darkling journey
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 10
uncannily or threateningly dark or obscure-Archibald MacLeish
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a darkling glance
- secret operatives and darkling conspiracies
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Coined by Irish poet Mary Tighe in 1805, likely as an extension of the adverbial sense, and popularized by John Keats.
From Middle English derkelyng. By surface analysis, dark + -ling.
From darkle + -ing, darkle itself a backformation from Tighe's adjectival sense.
Etymology tree English dark Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kwo-der.? Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Germanic *-īnaz Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz ? Proto-Germanic *-ingaz Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz Proto-West Germanic *-ling Old English -ling Middle English -ling English -ling English darkling From dark + -ling.