dung

Pronunciation: /ˈdʌŋ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun fecal matter of animals
  2. verb fertilize or dress with dung
  3. verb defecate; used of animals

Etymology

From Middle English dung, dunge, donge, from Old English dung (“dung; excrement; manure”), from Proto-West Germanic *dungu, from Proto-Germanic *dungō (“dung”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰengʰ- (“to cover”). Superseded non-native Middle English fen (“dung, excrement, filth”), from Old French fien, fiente (“dung, manure”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

droppings, muck

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
fecal matter
Narrower (hyponyms)
pigeon droppings, chip, coprolite, cow pie

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →