down

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   From a higher to a lower place or position.

   Be careful you don't fall down.

2. 2
   adv

   To a lower level, amount, or intensity.

   Please turn the music down a little.

3. 3
   adj

   Not working, especially of a machine or computer.

   We can't process orders because the system is down.

4. 4
   adj

   Sad or unhappy.

   She's been feeling a bit down since the bad news.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

The noun down for a gently rolling hill may be Celtic, related to early Irish dún and obsolete Welsh din, meaning “fort.” The directional down is Old English, shortened from a-down and ultimately from off down, “off the hill.” The down covering a young bird is unrelated and came into Middle English from an old Scandinavian word.

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *dūnaz? Proto-Celtic *dūnomder.? Proto-West Germanic *dūnā Old English dūn Middle English doune English down From Middle English doune, from Old English dūn, from Proto-West Germanic *dūn (“sandhill, dune”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz, *dūnǭ (“pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“smoke, haze, dust”). Alternatively, perhaps borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“hill; hillfort”) (compare Welsh din (“city, fort, stronghold”), Irish dún (“hill, fort”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). Cognate w…

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