Standard Lemma guide

darnel

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɑːnəɫ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D AA1 R N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the genus Lolium of grasses, especially as a weed in wheat fields.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ryegrass, bearded darnel, poison darnel, white darnel

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of the genus Lolium of grasses, especially as a weed in wheat fields.

Especially, the species Lolium temulentum, often host to a fungus toxic to humans and animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ryegrass, bearded darnel, poison darnel, white darnel

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land; seeds sometimes considered poisonous

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tare, bearded darnel, cheat, Lolium temulentum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rye grass, ryegrass

History

Etymology

From Middle English darnel, dernel, from Old Northern French darnelle ( > dialectal French dernelle, darnette), of Germanic origin, possibly Proto-West Germanic *darjan (“to harm, injure”). Displaced native Old English boþen. Related to Walloon darne, derne (“stunned, dazed, drunk”), Middle Dutch verdarnt, verdaernt (“stunned, dumbfounded, angry”). The association with being dazed or drunkenness is due to the well-known intoxicating effects of the plant.

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գիժ հաց (giž hacʻ) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Basque: iraka — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Bulgarian: глушица (glušica) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Catalan: jull — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Catalan: zitzània — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Chinese: 毒麥 /毒麦 (dúmài) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Danish: giftig rajgræs — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Dutch: dolik — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Esperanto: lolo — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Finnish: myrkkyraiheinä — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • French: ivraie enivrante — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Galician: xoio — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Galician: lerica — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Galician: tarela — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • German: Taumel-Lolch — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • German: Taumellolch — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • German: Rauschgras — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Ancient Greek: αἶρα (aîra) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Ancient Greek: ζιζάνιον (zizánion) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Hebrew: זוּן (zún) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Hungarian: szédítő vadóc — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Hungarian: konkolyperje — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Italian: zizzania — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Italian: loglio — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Japanese: 毒麦 (dokumugi) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Latin: lolium — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skjæraks — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svimling — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: raigras — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Polish: życica roczna — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Portuguese: joio — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Portuguese: cizânia — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Romanian: sălbăție — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Russian: пле́вел опьяня́ющий (plével opʹjanjájuščij) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Russian: пле́вел пьяня́щий (plével pʹjanjáščij) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Russian: головоло́м (golovolóm) — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Spanish: cizaña — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Spanish: cizaña forrajera — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Spanish: espantapájaros — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Swedish: dårrepe — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Turkish: delice — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Turkish: acımık — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Turkish: karaçayır — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Venetan: lojo — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Venetan: logio — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Venetan: loi — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields
  • Welsh: efrau — type of ryegrass found in wheatfields