damn

B2 Topic:Register & Style

Also spelled Damme and darmed

US /ˈdæm/ See IPA manual

Homophones

dam /ˈdæm/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like dem /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Freq #388

Meanings

1

interj
Used to express anger, surprise, or annoyance (informal).

Damn, I left my keys at home again!
2

adj
Used to add force to what you are saying, often in anger (informal).

The damn dog won't stop barking!
3

adv
Very or extremely (informal).

You know damn well what I mean.
4

verb
To say or wish that someone should be punished, especially by God.

He believed sinners would be damned for eternity.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 interj · used to express anger,... goddamn

2 adj · used to add force to what... damneddarnedblasted

3 adv · very or extremely (informal). bloody

4 verb · to say or wish that someone... curse condemn

Word family

Forms damningdamns

Derived forms bedamnbilly-be-damneddamagedammitdamnabilitydamnable damnation damnatory damneddamnfooldamnitdamnworthy

Appears in

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Damn entered English in the Middle English period and goes back to Latin damnare, “to inflict loss on.” It originally meant “to condemn,” but later became strongly associated with condemnation to hell.

Etymology

From Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnāre (“to condemn, inflict loss upon”), from damnum (“loss”).

*deh₂p- Proto-Indo-European dampnen Middle English damner Old French damnāre Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

External links

# damn

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** interj, adj, adv, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈdæm/
**Frequency rank:** 388

## Meanings
1. Used to express anger, surprise, or annoyance (informal).
2. Used to add force to what you are saying, often in anger (informal).
3. Very or extremely (informal).
4. To say or wish that someone should be punished, especially by God.

## Examples
- Damn, I left my keys at home again!
- The damn dog won't stop barking!
- You know damn well what I mean.
- He believed sinners would be damned for eternity.

## Derived Forms
- bedamn
- billy-be-damned
- damage
- dammit
- damnability
- damnable
- damnation
- damnatory
- damned
- damnfool
- damnit
- damnworthy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *deh₂p-
- Root: dampnen
- Root: damner
- Root: damnāre

## Etymology
From Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnāre (“to condemn, inflict loss upon”), from damnum (“loss”).

## AI Etymology
damn comes from Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnāre (“to condemn, inflict loss upon”), from damnum (“loss”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p-, Middle English dampnen, Old French damner, Latin damnāre. Current senses include Used to express anger, surprise, or annoyance (informal) and Used to add force to what you are saying, often in anger (informal). English relatives and later formations include bedamn, billy-be-damned, damage.

## Topics
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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