Dan

¹

[dan]

noun

1. 1. (in the Bible) a son of Jacob and Bilhah.

   2. one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel, traditionally descended from him.

2. the northernmost city of ancient Palestine.

3. a male given name, form of Daniel.

Dan

²

[dan]

noun

Archaic.

1. a title of honor equivalent to master or sir:

   Dan Chaucer.

dan

³

[dahn, dan]

noun

Martial Arts.

1. a degree of expertise in karate, judo, tae kwon do, etc., usually signified by the wearing of a cloth belt of a particular color; level.

   a sixth-degree dan.

Dan.

⁴

abbreviation

1. Bible.,  Daniel.

2. Danish. Also Dan

Dan

¹

/ dæn /

noun

1. 1. the fourth son of Jacob (Genesis 30:1–6)

   2. the tribe descended from him

2. a city in the northern territory of Canaan

Dan.

²

abbreviation

1. Bible Daniel

2. Danish

dan

³

/ dæn /

noun

1. any one of the 10 black-belt grades of proficiency

2. a competitor entitled to dan grading

Dan

⁴

/ dæn /

noun

1. an archaic title of honour, equivalent to Master or Sir

   Dan Chaucer

dan

⁵

/ dæn /

noun

1. Also called: dan buoy. a small buoy used as a marker at sea

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dan¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French danz < Medieval Latin domnus, contraction of Latin dominus “lord, master”

Origin of Dan²

First recorded in 1940–45; from Japanese, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese duàn “step, grade”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dan¹

Japanese

Origin of Dan²

C17: of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. from Dan to Beersheba, from one outermost extreme or limit to the other.

Example Sentences

Lions head coach Dan Campbell criticized Branch after the game, saying that he apologized to Chiefs coach Andy Reid after Branch's actions.

Read more on Barron's

Dan Cash, a Swift fan based in Wiltshire, England, usually buys one of the singer’s records to support her.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Dan Ballard had a goal disallowed in the first half, while Jamie Reid, Ethan Galbraith and Callum Marshal were among players who went close for an NI side that penned Germany back in the last quarter of the game.

Read more on BBC

Detroit coach Dan Campbell — who famously declared during his introductory press conference in 2021 that his team would bite off opponents’ kneecaps — told reporters that Branch’s actions were unacceptable.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Security minister Dan Jarvis said Monday: "This government is unequivocal, the first duty of the government is to keep people safe."

Read more on Barron's