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.
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