dun
1[ duhn ]
/ dʌn /
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verb (used with object), dunned, dun·ning.
to make repeated and insistent demands upon, especially for the payment of a debt.
noun
a person, especially a creditor, who duns another.
a demand for payment, especially a written one.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of dun
1First recorded in 1620–30; origin obscure
Other definitions for dun (2 of 2)
dun2
[ duhn ]
/ dʌn /
adjective
dull, grayish brown.
dark; gloomy.
noun
Origin of dun
2First recorded before 1000; Middle English don, dun(ne), Old English dun; cognate with Old Saxon dun; probably of Celtic origin; compare Irish donn “dark,” Welsh dwnn “brownish”
OTHER WORDS FROM dun
dunness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dun in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for dun (1 of 2)
dun1
/ (dʌn) /
verb duns, dunning or dunned
(tr) to press or importune (a debtor) for the payment of a debt
noun
a person, esp a hired agent, who importunes another for the payment of a debt
a demand for payment, esp one in writing
Word Origin for dun
C17: of unknown origin
British Dictionary definitions for dun (2 of 2)
dun2
/ (dʌn) /
noun
a brownish-grey colour
a horse of this colour
angling
- an immature adult mayfly (the subimago), esp one of the genus Ephemera
- an artificial fly imitating this or a similar fly
adjective dunner or dunnest
of a dun colour
dark and gloomy
Word Origin for dun
Old English dunn; related to Old Norse dunna wild duck, Middle Irish doun dark; see dusk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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