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definitions

dan

[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.

Origin of dan

1940–45; < Japanese < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese duàn step, grade

Dan

1
[dan]
noun
  1. a son of Jacob and Bilhah. Gen. 30:6.
  2. one of the 12 tribes of Israel, traditionally descended from him.
  3. the northernmost city of ancient Palestine.
  4. a male given name, form of Daniel.
Idioms
  1. from Dan to Beersheba, from one outermost extreme or limit to the other. Judges 20:1.

Dan

2
[dan]
noun Archaic.
  1. a title of honor equivalent to master or sir: Dan Chaucer.

Origin of Dan

2
1275–1325; Middle English < Old French danz < Medieval Latin domnus, contraction of Latin dominus “lord, master”

Dan.

abbreviation
  1. Bible. Daniel(def 1).
  2. Danish.Also Dan

Marino

[muh-ree-noh]
noun
  1. Daniel ConstantineDan, born 1961, U.S. football player.

Quayle

[kweyl]
noun
  1. James DanforthDan, born 1947, vice president of the U.S. 1989–93.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dan

Contemporary Examples of dan

Historical Examples of dan

  • "Dan's goin' t' kill 'imself 'cause 'is wife's gone," blubbered the other.

  • Dan was the principal sufferer, as, to say the truth, he ought to have been.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • Gilead abode beyond Jordan, and why did Dan remain in ships?

  • They were so close to him that Dan could have reached out his hand and touched them.

  • To tell the truth, Dan, it looked like the Marquis; though I couldn't swear to him.

British Dictionary definitions for dan

dan

1
noun
  1. a small buoy used as a marker at seaAlso called: dan buoy

Word Origin for dan

C17: of unknown origin

dan

2
noun martial arts
  1. any one of the 10 black-belt grades of proficiency
  2. a competitor entitled to dan grading
Compare kyu

Word Origin for dan

Japanese

Dan

1
noun
  1. an archaic title of honour, equivalent to Master or SirDan Chaucer

Dan

2
noun Old Testament
    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.

abbreviation for
  1. Bible Daniel
  2. Danish

Quayle

noun
  1. Sir (John) Anthony . 1913–89, British actor and theatrical producer: director (1948–56) of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for dan

title of address to members of religious orders, c.1300, from Old French dan (Modern French dom), from Latin dominus "lord" (source of Portuguese don, Spanish don, Italian donno; see don (n.)).

Dan

1

familiar form of masc. proper name Daniel.

Dan

2

name of one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel or its territory, named for its founder; literally "he who judges," related to Hebrew din "to judge." In the Old Testament, it occupied the northernmost part of Israel, hence its use proverbially for "utmost extremity," e.g. in from Dan to Beersheba (the southernmost region), 1738.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper