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dun

1
[ duhn ]
/ dʌn /
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See synonyms for: dun / dunned / dunning / duns on Thesaurus.com

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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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of dun

1
First recorded in 1620–30; origin obscure

Other definitions for dun (2 of 2)

dun2
[ duhn ]
/ dʌn /

adjective
dull, grayish brown.
dark; gloomy.
noun
a dun color.
a dun-colored horse with a black mane and tail.
Angling. dun fly.

Origin of dun

2
First 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, noun
Dictionary.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
  1. an immature adult mayfly (the subimago), esp one of the genus Ephemera
  2. 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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