dawn

See also: Dawn

English

Etymology

Back-formation from dawning. (If the noun rather than the verb is primary, the noun could directly continue dawing.) Compare daw (“to dawn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɔːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɔn/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /dɑn/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /doːn/
• Homophones: don, Don (accents with the cot-caught merger)
• Rhymes: -ɔːn

Verb

dawn (third-person singular simple present dawns, present participle dawning, simple past and past participle dawned)

1. (intransitive) To begin to brighten with daylight.

   A new day dawns.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew xxviii:1:

     In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene […] to see the sepulchre.

2. (intransitive, figurative) To start to appear or be realized.

   I don’t want to be there when the truth dawns on him.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.

3. (intransitive, figurative) To begin to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand.
   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     in dawning youth

   • 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC:

     when life awakes, and dawns at every line

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XLII, page 65:

     And love will last as pure and whole
     ⁠As when he loved me here in Time,
     ⁠And at the spiritual prime
     Rewaken with the dawning soul.

Derived terms

• dawn on

Translations

to begin to brighten with daylight

• Aghwan: 𐕣𐔰𐔴𐕎 (kaen)
• Albanian: agimi (sq)
• Arabic: فَجْر m or f (fajr)

  Gulf Arabic: فَيِر (fəyir)

  Hijazi Arabic: فجر m (fajir, fajur)

• Armenian: առավոտադեմ (hy) (aṙavotadem)
• Assamese: কাহিলিপুৱা (kahilipua), দোকমোকালি (dükmükali), পুৱতি নিশা (puti nixa)
• Asturian: alboriar, alborecer
• Bulgarian: съмва се (sǎmva se), зазорява се (zazorjava se)
• Catalan: clarejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 黎明 (zh) (límíng), 拂曉／拂晓 (zh) (fúxiǎo), 破曉／破晓 (zh) (pòxiǎo)

• Cornish: bora m
• Danish: daggry (da)
• Dutch: dagen (nl), rijzen (nl)
• Esperanto: tagiĝi
• Ewe: fɔŋli
• Finnish: sarastaa (fi), valjeta (fi)
• French: se lever (fr)
• Galician: amencer (gl), clarear (gl), alborexar (gl), alborecer (gl), lumbrigar (gl)
• Georgian: გათენება (gateneba), ნათება (nateba)
• German: dämmern (de)
• Greek: ξημερώνω (el) (ximeróno), χαράζω (el) (charázo)
• Hungarian: hajnalodik (hu), virrad (hu)
• Icelandic: daga, birta af degi
• Ido: jorneskar (io)
• Indonesian: subuh (id), fajar (id)
• Irish: camhaoir f, breacadh an lae m
• Italian: spuntare (it), albeggiare (it)
• Japanese: あかつき (ja) (akatsuki), 夜明け (ja) (yoake), 曙 (ja) (akebono)
• Korean: 밝다 (ko) (bakda)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: شەبەقدان (şebeqdan)

• Latin: lucesco, dilucesco, luciscere
• Macedonian: се разденува (se razdenuva), зазорува (zazoruva)
• Malay: subuh (ms)
• Maltese: żerniq, tbexbix
• Maori: ao (mi), pūao, tākiri, rikoriko, tākiri te ata, hāpara, ngahae
• Marathi: पहाट f (pahāṭ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gry (no), dages, renne (no)

  Nynorsk: gry, dagast, renna

• Old English: dagian
• Ossetian: ӕхси́д (æxsíd)
• Persian: سپیده‌دم (fa) (sepide-dam), پگاه (fa) (pegâh)
• Polish: świtać (pl)
• Portuguese: amanhecer (pt)
• Punjabi: ਤੜਕਾ (pa) (taṛkā)
• Quechua: achikyay (qu), paqariy, warayay
• Russian: наступа́ть (ru) (nastupátʹ), рассвета́ть (ru) (rassvetátʹ)
• Sassarese: billòcca, chintari
• Serbo-Croatian: svanuti (sh), rasvetliti (sh), nastupiti (sh)
• Slovene: (se) daniti
• Spanish: amanecer (es)
• Swedish: gry (sv), dagas (sv)
• Sylheti: ꠇꠣꠟꠣꠁꠘ꠆ꠎꠤ (xalainzi)
• Telugu: తెల్లారు (tellāru)
• Turkish: tan (tr)
• Udi: кай (kaj), каьй (käj)
• Welsh: gwawrio (cy)
• Yiddish: טאָגן (togn)
• Zazaki: sıpêde

to start to appear, to be realized

• Bulgarian: изгрявам (bg) (izgrjavam), появявам се (pojavjavam se)
• Catalan: néixer (ca)
• Dutch: dagen (nl)
• Finnish: paljastua (fi), valjeta (fi)
• French: naître (fr)
• Galician: escrarexer, xurdir (gl), petar (gl), abarbar (gl), alumbregar
• Hungarian: dereng (hu)
• Italian: spuntare (it)
• Korean: 밝혀지다 (ko) (balkyeojida)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: دەرکەوتن (derkewtin)

• Latin: lucesco, dilucesco, luciscere
• Macedonian: се разјаснува (se razjasnuva)
• Portuguese: aparecer (pt), nascer (pt)
• Russian: озаря́ть (ru) (ozarjátʹ), осеня́ть (ru) (osenjátʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: sinuti (sh), sinuće, osanjiti
• Slovene: se razkriti
• Swedish: gå upp för, randas (sv)
• Welsh: sylweddoli (cy)
• Zazaki: tiji akewten

Noun

dawn (countable and uncountable, plural dawns)

1. (uncountable) The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise.
2. (countable) The rising of the sun.

   Synonyms: break of dawn, break of day, daybreak, day-dawn, dayspring, sunrise

3. (uncountable) The time when the sun rises.

   Synonyms: break of dawn, break of day, crack of dawn, daybreak, day-dawn, dayspring, sunrise, sunup

   She rose before dawn to meet the train.

4. (uncountable) The earliest phase of something.

   Synonyms: beginning, onset, start

   the dawn of civilization

   • 2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:

     The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices).

Antonyms

• dusk

Hypernyms

• twilight

Hyponyms

• astronomical dawn
• civil dawn
• nautical dawn

Derived terms

• crack of dawn
• dawn choir
• dawn chorus
• dawn horse
• dawn of a new day
• dawn of time
• dawn patrol
• dawn poppy
• dawn prayer
• dawn raid
• dawn redwood
• dawn to dusk
• dawn upon
• false dawn
• from dawn to dusk
• from dusk to dawn
• handbags at dawn
• it is always darkest before the dawn
• it is always darkest just before the dawn
• it is darkest before the dawn
• it is darkest just before the dawn
• new dawn
• northern dawn
• pistols at dawn
• the darkest hour is always just before the dawn
• the darkest hour is just before the dawn

 

Related terms

• dawning

Translations

morning twilight period

• Arabic: فَجْر m (fajr)

  Egyptian Arabic: فجر m (fagr)

• Armenian: արշալույս (aršaluys)
• Aromanian: hãryii f, cripatã f, apiritã f, ndzari, adoarã
• Azerbaijani: dan (az)
• Bashkir: таң (tañ)
• Basque: egunsenti
• Belarusian: зара́ f (zará), світа́нне n (svitánnje)
• Bengali: ভোর (bhōr), ঊষা (uśa), প্রভাত (bn) (probhat), ফজর (bn) (phojor)
• Bikol Central: daliwawa
• Bulgarian: зора (bg) f (zora), разсъмване n (razsǎmvane)
• Burmese: အရုဏ်တက် (a.runtak), အရုဏ် (my) (a.run)
• Catalan: aurora (ca) f, alba (ca)
• Cebuano: kaadlawon
• Cherokee: ᎤᎩᏥᏕᏱ (ugitsideyi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 黎明 (zh) (límíng), 拂曉／拂晓 (zh) (fúxiǎo), 破曉／破晓 (zh) (pòxiǎo), 旦 (zh) (dàn)

• Chuvash: шурампуҫ (šuramp̬uś)
• Danish: daggry (da) n
• Dutch: morgenschemering (nl) f, dageraad (nl) m, zonsopgang (nl) m
• Egyptian: (ꜥnḏw)
• Esperanto: aŭroro, matenruĝo (eo)
• Even: гяван (gẹwan)
• Finnish: aamunkoitto (fi), sarastus (fi), aamuhämärä (fi), koi (fi)
• French: aube (fr) f
• Friulian: albe f
• Galician: albor, alborada (gl) f, abrente (gl) m, alba (gl) f, amencida f
• Gallurese: albore
• Georgian: გარიჟრაჟი (garižraži), რიჟრაჟი (rižraži)
• German: Morgendämmerung (de) f, Dämmerung (de) f, Morgengrauen (de) n
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍅𐍉 f (uhtwō)
• Greek: αυγή (el) f (avgí)

  Ancient: ὄρθρος f (órthros), ἠώς f (ēṓs)

• Guaraní: ko'ẽ
• Hausa: alfijir
• Hebrew: שחר (he) m (shakhar)
• Hindi: उषा (hi) f (uṣā), ऊषा (hi) f (ūṣā), प्रभात (hi) m (prabhāt), तड़का (hi) m (taṛkā), सवेरा (hi) m (saverā), सुबह (hi) f (subah), सहर (hi) m (sahar), भोर (hi) m (bhor), फजर (hi) m (phajar)
• Hungarian: hajnal (hu)
• Icelandic: dögun (is) f, dagrenning (is) f, morgunsár (is) n, afturelding (is) f
• Ido: jornesko (io)
• Ilocano: bannawag
• Irish: camhaoir f
• Istriot: alba f
• Italian: alba (it) f
• Japanese: 夜明け (ja) (よあけ, yoake), 暁 (ja) (あかつき)
• Kabuverdianu: madrugada
• Kazakh: арай (arai)
• Khmer: ព្រលឹម (km) (prɔlɨm)
• Korean: 새벽 (ko) (saebyeok)
• Kyrgyz: таң (ky) (taŋ)
• Latin: aurōra (la) f, mātūtīnum n
• Lithuanian: aušra (lt) f, žara f
• Macedonian: мугра f (mugra), зора f (zora)
• Maltese: sebħ m, żerniq m
• Malvi: पो (po)
• Maori: pūaotanga, hāpara, ata hāpara, haeata
• Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭥𐭱 (ʾʿš /⁠ōš⁠/)
• Nanai: гиван (giwan)
• Navajo: hayííłką́, hayoołkááł
• Neapolitan: arba f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grålysning m or f, morgengry n, otte (no) m or f, daggry n, demring m or f, dagning (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: grålysning f, morgongry n, otte f, daggry n, dagning f

• Old English: dægrēd
• Oromo: obboroo, abboroo
• Ossetian: ӕхсид (æxsid)
• Ottoman Turkish: طاك (tañ)
• Persian: سپیده (fa) (sepide)
• Polish: świt (pl) m, brzask (pl) m
• Portuguese: alvorecer (pt), alvorada (pt), amanhecer (pt), aurora (pt), alva (pt)
• Punjabi: ਝਲਾਂਗ m (jhalāṅg), ਤੜਕਾ (pa) (taṛkā), ਫ਼ਜਰ m (fajar), ਲੋ m (lo), ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤ (prbhāt)
• Romanian: zori (ro) m, auroră (ro) f, alba f
• Romansch: alva f
• Russian: заря́ (ru) f (zarjá), рассве́т (ru) m (rassvét)
• Sanskrit: उषस् (sa) f (uṣas), उषा (sa) f (uṣā), ऊषा (sa) f (ūṣā), प्रभात (sa) n (prabhāta)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: nèa

  Logudorese: arbéschida, arbòre

• Sassarese: billòcca, chintari
• Scottish Gaelic: beul an latha m, briseadh-latha m, mochthrath f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: праскозорје n, зора f

  Roman: prȁskozōrje (sh) n, zòra (sh) f

• Sicilian: alba (scn) f, arba (scn) f, abba (scn) f
• Somali: waabari
• Spanish: alba (es) f, amanecer (es) m, aurora (es) f, madrugada (es) f
• Swahili: alfajiri (sw)
• Swedish: gryning (sv), morgonrodnad (sv) c
• Tagalog: bukang-liwayway (tl)
• Telugu: ప్రభాతము (te) (prabhātamu), ప్రొద్దు (te) (proddu)
• Thai: ย่ำรุ่ง (th) (yâm-rûng), เช้ามืด (th) (cháao-mʉ̂ʉt)
• Turkish: seher (tr), şafak (tr), tan (tr)
• Ukrainian: зоря́ (uk) f (zorjá), світа́нок (uk) m (svitánok)
• Urdu: سحر m (sahr), سویرا m (saverā), تڑکا m (taṛkā), صبح f (subah), اشا f (uṣā), اشراق m (išrāq), پربهات m (prabhāt)
• Vaghri: ઊજારો (ūjāro)
• Vietnamese: bình minh (vi), rạng đông (vi)
• Volapük: gödalulit
• Welsh: gwawr (cy) f
• Yakut: тыҥ (tıñ)
• Yiddish: פֿאַרטאָג (yi) m (fartog), באַגינען m (baginen), פֿרימאָרגן (yi) m (frimorgn), קאַיאָר m (kayor)

rising of the sun

• Afrikaans: sonop
• Armenian: լուսաբաց (hy) (lusabacʻ), այգաբաց (hy) (aygabacʻ), այգ (hy) (ayg)
• Aromanian: apiritã f, cripatã f
• Asturian: alba, alborecida, alborecer
• Belarusian: усхо́д (be) m (usxód)
• Bengali: ভোর (bhōr), প্রভাত (bn) (probhat)
• Bikol Central: pagsirang, pagsubang
• Bulgarian: зора (bg) f (zora), разсъмване n (razsǎmvane)
• Catalan: alba (ca) m
• Chamicuro: ijs̈hwaketasi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 天亮 (zh) (tiānliàng)

• Czech: východ (cs) m
• Danish: solopgang (da) c
• Dutch: zonsopgang (nl) m
• Egyptian: (ꜥnḏw)
• Esperanto: tagiĝo (eo)
• Ewe: fɔŋli
• Finnish: auringonnousu (fi), aamunkoitto (fi), koitto (fi), koite (fi)
• French: lever du soleil (fr) m, aube (fr) f
• Gallurese: alba
• Georgian: განთიადი (ka) (gantiadi), აისი (aisi), ცისკარი (cisḳari), ალიონი (alioni), გარიჟრაჟი (garižraži), რიჟრაჟი (rižraži)
• German: Dämmerung (de) f, Morgendämmerung (de) f, Morgengrauen (de) n, Tagesanbruch (de) m
• Greek: ανατολή (el) f (anatolí)

  Ancient: αὐγή f (augḗ), ἠώς f (ēṓs)

• Hindi: प्रभात (hi) (prabhāt), भोर (hi) (bhor)
• Hungarian: pirkadat (hu), virradat (hu)
• Icelandic: sólarupprás (is) f, sólris (is) n, sólaruppkoma (is) n
• Italian: alba (it) f, aurora (it) f
• Japanese: 夜明け (ja) (よあけ, yoake)
• Khmer: ព្រលឹម (km) (prɔlɨm)
• Korean: 해돋이 (ko) (haedoji)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەرەبەیان (berebeyan)

• Latin: aurora (la)
• Lithuanian: aušra (lt) f
• Macedonian: изгрејсонце n (izgrejsonce), изгрев m (izgrev)
• Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭥𐭱𐭡𐭠𐭬 (ʾʿšbʾm /⁠ōšebām⁠/)
• Norwegian: soloppgang (no), solrenning
• Old English: dagung f
• Ottoman Turkish: طاك (tañ)
• Persian: پرگاس (pargâs)
• Portuguese: amanhecer (pt), alva (pt), alvorada (pt)
• Quechua: paqar
• Romanian: răsărit (ro) n, alba f, auroră (ro) f
• Russian: восхо́д (ru) m (vosxód), восхо́д со́лнца m (vosxód sólnca), рассве́т (ru) m (rassvét), (утренняя) заря ((útrennjaja) zarjá) f
• Sanskrit: उषस् (sa) f (uṣas), उषा (sa) f (uṣā), ऊषा (sa) f (ūṣā), प्रभात (sa) n (prabhāta)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: alba, obrescidòrgiu

  Logudorese: alba, impoddile

• Sassarese: pisata di soli
• Scottish Gaelic: èirigh na grèine f
• Serbo-Croatian: zòra (sh) f, svȉtānje (sh) n, òsvit (sh) m, svanúće n, svitak (sh)
• Slovene: zora (sl) f
• Spanish: amanecer (es), alba (es)
• Swedish: soluppgång (sv)
• Turkish: şafak (tr)
• Ukrainian: схід (uk) m (sxid)

time

• Armenian: լուսաբաց (hy) (lusabacʻ), այգաբաց (hy) (aygabacʻ), այգ (hy) (ayg)
• Bulgarian: зори (bg) pl (zori)
• Catalan: albada (ca) f
• Czech: úsvit (cs) m, svítání (cs) n, zora (cs) f
• Danish: daggry (da) n
• Dutch: dageraad (nl) m, zonsopgang (nl) m, ochtendschemering (nl) f
• Ewe: fɔŋli
• Finnish: aamunkoitto (fi)
• French: aube (fr) f, aurore (fr) f
• Georgian: განთიადი (ka) (gantiadi), აისი (aisi)
• German: Dämmerung (de) f, Morgendämmerung (de) f, Morgengrauen (de) n, Tagesanbruch (de) m
• Greek: αυγή (el) f (avgí)

  Ancient: ἠώς f (ēṓs)

• Hebrew: שחר (he) m (shakhar)
• Hungarian: virradat (hu), hajnal (hu)
• Icelandic: dögun (is) f
• Italian: alba (it) f, albori (it) m pl
• Japanese: 明け方 (ja) (akegata)
• Korean: 새벽 (ko) (saebyeok)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەرەبەیان (berebeyan), شەبەق (şebeq)

• Latin: aurora (la) f
• Macedonian: зора f (zora), мугра f (mugra)
• Navajo: yikáííhdą́ą́ʼ
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: morgengry n, morgonstund m or f

  Nynorsk: morgongry n, morgonstund f

• Old English: dagung f
• Portuguese: aurora (pt), alvorada (pt)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: восхо́д со́лнца m (vosxód sólnca), рассве́т (ru) m (rassvét), (утренняя) заря ((útrennjaja) zarjá) f
• Scottish Gaelic: beul an latha m, briseadh-latha m, mochthrath f
• Serbo-Croatian: svanuti (sh), zora (sh), razdan (sh), rasvet, rasvetliti (sh), svanuti (sh), usvanuti, zasvanuti, svitanje (sh), òsvit (sh) m
• Swedish: gryning (sv) c
• Yiddish: פֿאַרטאָג (yi) m (fartog)

beginning

• Arabic: الفجر
• Armenian: այգ (hy) (ayg)
• Bengali: প্রভাত (bn) (probhat), ফজর (bn) (phojor)
• Catalan: albors (ca) f pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拂晓 (zh) (fúxiǎo)

• Dutch: dageraad (nl) m, opgang (nl) m
• Esperanto: aŭroro, komenco (eo)
• Finnish: aamunkoitto (fi), koitto (fi), koite (fi)
• French: aube (fr) f, aurore (fr) f
• German: Dämmerung (de) f
• Greek: αυγή (el) f (avgí)
• Hebrew: שחר (he) m (shakhar)
• Hungarian: hajnal (hu)
• Icelandic: dögun (is) f
• Italian: albori (it) m pl, schiudersi m, vagito (it) m, inizio (it) m, alba (it) f, primordio (it) m, nascita (it) f
• Korean: 새벽 (ko) (saebyeok)
• Latin: aurora (la) f, initium (la) n
• Macedonian: зора f (zora)
• Polish: świt (pl) m, zaranie (pl) n
• Portuguese: começo (pt), alvorada (pt) f, aurora (pt)
• Russian: заря́ (ru) f (zarjá)
• Serbo-Croatian: svanuće, zòra (sh) f, svȉtānje (sh) n, òsvit (sh) m
• Swedish: gryning (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} తొలి పొద్దు (toli poddu), ^{(please verify)} ఉదయ సంధ్య (udaya sandhya)

See also

• crepuscular

See also

• (times of day) time of day; dawn, morning, noon/midday, afternoon, dusk, evening, night, midnight ^{(Category: en:Times of day)}

References

• “dawn”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “dawn”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Dwan, Wand, wand

Maltese

Alternative forms

• dawna, daw

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dawn/

Determiner

dawn

1. plural of dan

   Coordinate term: hedawn (hedawna)

Middle English

Noun

dawn

1. Alternative form of dan

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dau̯n/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -au̯n

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *don, from Proto-Celtic *dānus (whence also Irish dán), from Proto-Indo-European *déh₃nom (“gift”). Compare Latin dōnum.

Noun

dawn f (plural doniau)

1. talent, natural gift, ability

Derived terms

• donio (“to gift, to endow”)
• doniog (“gifted, talented”)
• doniol (“funny”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

dawn

1. first-person plural future colloquial of dod

Alternative forms

• down (colloquial)
• deuwn (literary)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
dawn	ddawn	nawn	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.