Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Dun |
DunAdjective1. Of a dull grayish brown to brownish gray color; "the dun and dreary prairie". Noun1. Horse of a dull brownish gray color. 2. A color varying around light grayish brown; "she wore a dun raincoat". Verb1. Annoy constantly. 2. Persistently ask for overdue payment; "The grocer dunned his customers every day by telephone". 3. Cure by salting; "dun codfish". 4. Make a dun color. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "dun" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Biographical Satire | DUN, another man whose word of commendation will enable you to open a charge account. Source: Who was Who: 5000BC - 1914. |
Dream Interpretation | To dream that you receive a dun, warns you to look after your affairs and correct all tendency towards neglect of business and love. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Finance | To press for payment of a debt; to demand repeatedly to be paid what is owed. (references) |
Literature | Dun One who importunes for payment of a bill (Anglo-Saxon, dunan, to din or clamour). The tradition is that it refers to Joe Dun, a famous bailiff of Lincoln in the reign of Henry VII. The British Apollo says he was so active and dexterous in collecting bad debts that when anyone became "slow to pay" the neighbours used to say to the creditors, "Dun him" (send Dun after him). "An Universitie dunne ... is an inferior creditor of some ten shillings or downewards, contracted for horse-hire, or perchance drinke, too weake to be put in suite." - Bishop Earle: Microcosmographia (1601-1695). Squire Dun. The hangman between Richard Brandin and Jack Ketch. "And presently a halter got, Made of the best strong hempen teer; And, ere a cat could lick his ear, Had tied him up with as much art, As Dun himself could do for's heart." Cotton: Virgil Travestied, book iv. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Slang in 1811 | DUN. An importunate creditor. Dunny, in the provincial dialect of several counties, signifies DEAF; to dun, then, perhaps may mean to deafen with importunate demands: some derive it from the word DONNEZ, which signifies GIVE. But the true original meaning. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
DUN | English | Dial Up Networking | Computer - Computer - (X.500, DS) |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: DunSynonyms: fawn (n), grayish brown (n), greyish brown (n), bedevil (v), crucify (v), frustrate (v), rag (v), torment (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Credit | Creditor, lender, lessor, mortgagee; dun; usurer. |
Request | Beg hard, entreat, beseech, plead, supplicate, implore; conjure, adjure; obtest; cry to, kneel to, appeal to; invoke, evoke; impetrate, imprecate, ply, press, urge, beset, importune, dun, tax, clamor for; cry aloud, cry for help; fall on one's knees; throw oneself at the feet of; come down on one's marrowbones. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Dun |
| English words defined with "dun": A-, Alderney ♦ buckskin ♦ Dunned, Dunning, Dunnish ♦ Favel, fawn ♦ grayish brown, greyish brown ♦ Hoddy, Hooded crow. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "dun": Dab, Din, Dimanche, Dun Cow, Dun in the Mire, dunite ♦ MACROBIAN, Merry Dun of Dover, Misnomers. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "dun": Donkey, Dunlin, Dunnage, Dunner ♦ town. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Dun" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Afrikaan (airy, gaunt, lean, slender, thin), Danish (down, fluff), Dutch (airy, fluid, gaunt, lean, liquid, slender, thin), Norwegian (floss), Swedish (down, flue, fluff). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | AB. Dun och Bolster (1989) Who Dun Who (1988) Xing ji dun tai (1983) Lan dun bao xian xiang (1983) Qi men dun jia (1982) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Adopted dun Horse crossing Creek. Credit: Merv Coleman. |  | Horses and ponies. Yellow dun Norwegian pony. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | More general information on manufacturers and suppliers in the United Kingdom is available in published and database format from Kompass, a Reed Business Information publication, and from Dun & Bradstreet's Key British Enterprises (KBE) directories. (references) | |
According to Mr. Niu Dun, director of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Department in the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, by late 1999 China's agricultural sector had been equipped with 218,000 combines, 12 million tractors and more than 5 million vehicles for transportation purposes. (references) | ||
Before going into a joint venture agreement with a Saudi partner, the Commercial Service in Saudi Arabia always recommends foreign companies request a credit check on their would be local partner through the local agent of Dun & Bradstreet, Amer Research Company, which can produce complete background and credit reports. (references) | ||
Economic History | France | The French agency of Dun & Bradstreet offers this service. (references) |
Czech Rep | Dun & Bradstreet (tel.: (420 2) 7103-1500, fax: (420 2) 7108-1530) and VVV Most, spol. (references) | |
Switzerland | These can be obtained at a relatively low cost from Dun & Bradstreet in the United States. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | MACROBIAN, n. One forgotten of the gods and living to a great age. History is abundantly supplied with examples, from Methuselah to Old Parr, but some notable instances of longevity are less well known. A Calabrian peasant named Coloni, born in 1753, lived so long that he had what he considered a glimpse of the dawn of universal peace. Scanavius relates that he knew an archbishop who was so old that he could remember a time when he did not deserve hanging. In 1566 a linen draper of Bristol, England, declared that he had lived five hundred years, and that in all that time he had never told a lie. There are instances of longevity (macrobiosis) in our own country. Senator Chauncey Depew is old enough to know better. The editor of The American, a newspaper in New York City, has a memory that goes back to the time when he was a rascal, but not to the fact. The President of the United States was born so long ago that many of the friends of his youth have risen to high political and military preferment without the assistance of personal merit. The verses following were written by a macrobian: When I was young the world was fair And amiable and sunny. A brightness was in all the air, In all the waters, honey. The jokes were fine and funny, The statesmen honest in their views, And in their lives, as well, And when you heard a bit of news 'Twas true enough to tell. Men were not ranting, shouting, reeking, Nor women "generally speaking." The Summer then was long indeed: It lasted one whole season! The sparkling Winter gave no heed When ordered by Unreason To bring the early peas on. Now, where the dickens is the sense In calling that a year Which does no more than just commence Before the end is near? When I was young the year extended From month to month until it ended. I know not why the world has changed To something dark and dreary, And everything is now arranged To make a fellow weary. The Weather Man -- I fear he Has much to do with it, for, sure, The air is not the same: It chokes you when it is impure, When pure it makes you lame. With windows closed you are asthmatic; Open, neuralgic or sciatic. Well, I suppose this new regime Of dun degeneration Seems eviler than it would seem To a better observation, And has for compensation Some blessings in a deep disguise Which mortal sight has failed To pierce, although to angels' eyes They're visible unveiled. If Age is such a boon, good land! He's costumed by a master hand! Venable Strigg |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Dun" is generally used as a verb "do" (-s form) -- approximately 44.66% of the time. "Dun" is used about 262 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Verb "Do" (-s form) | 44.66% | 117 | 29,823 |
| Noun (singular) | 24.81% | 65 | 41,645 |
| Noun (proper) | 23.28% | 61 | 43,149 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 4.2% | 11 | 106,044 |
| Unclassified Items | 1.91% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 1.15% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Total | 100.00% | 262 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "dun" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Dun | Last name | 170 | 43,968 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expressions using "dun": Dun crow ♦ Dun diver. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "dun": Dun-aidh, dun-and-white, dun-and-whites, dun-bird, dun-coloured, dun-cream, dun-curre, dun-grey, Dun-naomhaig, dun-ping, dun-tinged, dun-walled. | |
Ending with "dun": grey-dun, Holyhead-dun, mod-dun. | |
Containing "dun": who-dun-it, why-dun-it. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
dun bradstreet | 3,237 | arabian dun | 10 |
dun | 235 | 1.3 dun | 10 |
dun ireland laoghaire | 50 | david dun | 9 |
dun horse | 48 | 1.4 dun | 9 |
dun bradstreet number | 32 | craigh na dun | 9 |
brook dun | 27 | bradstreet clla dun | 8 |
dun bradstreet report | 27 | pale morning dun | 8 |
bradstreet.com dun | 25 | dun edwards paint | 8 |
dun brad | 24 | dun red | 8 |
hollywood dun it | 23 | dun horse red | 7 |
dun bradstreet canada | 22 | angus dun | 6 |
tan dun | 22 | dun rite | 6 |
dun bradstreet rating | 22 | van dun | 6 |
dun and brad street | 21 | dun stallion | 6 |
bad constantly dun get good if it it luck luck....n p send send till u u u will | 21 | buggy dun | 6 |
dun laoghaire | 17 | blue dun | 6 |
dun horse quarter | 15 | dun number | 5 |
dun xiahou | 14 | dun mustang | 5 |
1.2 dun | 11 | dun horse quarter red | 5 |
tweak dun | 11 | dun it who | 5 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "dun"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | mbledhës borxhesh, kërkesë pagese, kërkesë borxhi, i përhimë (dusty, greyish, grizzle, grizzled, grizzly, neutral, platinum blond, taupe), i murmë (fulvous). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | فرس كميت (bay), كميت, كمتة, ملح في الطلب, مظلم (black, dark, dim, dusk, gloomy, mirk, murk, murky, obscure, overcast, tenebrous), الحاح بتسديد دين, البنى رمادي. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | сумрачен (crepuscular, dusk, tenebrous, twilighted, twilit), сивокафяв кон, сивокафяв (brown coal, khaki), вид изкуствена муха (doctor, palmer), настоявам да ми се плати дългът, настойчив кредитор, агент който събира дългове. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 逼債 (press for payment of debts), 讨债者. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | upomínat. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | regnklaeg (cleg, dun fly), moerkegul hest (dun horse). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | manen (admonish, dun for payment, scold), aanmanen (admonish, dun for payment, scold). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | pagadmoni (dun for payment). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | سمند, سماجت کردن (Importune, Persist), خاکی (Earthborn, Earthen, Earthly, Earthy, Mundane, Terrestrial, Worldly), اسب کهر (Bay), ازاردادن (Excruciate, Imp, Nag, Tantalize, Trouble), رنگ قهوه ای کمرنگ . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | velkoa (claim, demand payment of), karhuta. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | sombre (dull, dusky), cheval louvet, brun grisâtre, brun foncé. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | schwarzbraun, graubraun, falbel (furbelow), falb (fallow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | γκριζόμαυροσ (drab). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | קו"ר (black, cheerless, dark, dour, gaunt, gloomy, gruff, morose, murky, saturnine, sepulchral, somber, sullen, tenebrous), חום אפור. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | szürkésbarna (drab, greyish-brown). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | sawo matang, menagih hutang. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | sollecitazione (canvass, request, solicitation, strain, stress), grigio (dingy, gray, grey, grizzle, grizzled, grizzly, Hoar), creditore (creditor), chiedere insistentemente. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 借金取り (bill collection, bill collector), 催促状 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | しゃっき"とり (bill collection, bill collector), さいそくじょう. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 빚쟁이. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | ouyr (pale yellow, tawny, yellow-dun, yellowish), ouar, dorraghey (crepuscular, dark, dusk, dusky, enigmatic, fade out, gloomy, obscure), doon (bastion, earth fort, fastness, fort, fortified rock, stronghold), croaganaghey. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | unday sombrio (abstruse, adust, bleak, bowery, cheerless, cloudy, dark, darkling, darksome, dim, dingy, dismal, doleful, dreary, dusk, dusky, ebon, funereal, fuscous, gaunt, gloomily, gloomy, glum, grave, hard-headed, lowering, mirk, miserable, misty, morose, murk, murky, obscure, opaque, overcast, sable, sad, saturnine, shadowy, somber, sombre, stygian, umbrageous), pardo (brown, dingy, grey), cobrador (collector, conductor, receiver, runner), castanho-escuro. (various references) presa (calender, compress, crowd, force, impact, jam, journalism, nip, press, push, squeeze, stress, urge), mohorât (bleak, blue, cheerless, dark, dismal, downcast, dreary, dull, gloomy, grave, Gray, grey, lowering, overcast, sad), culoare cenuşiu, creditor care cere platã unei datorii, cerere a unei plãţi, cere în mod insistent platã, cenuşiu-cafeniu, închis (black, cagey, close, close-mouthed, coop, covered, dark, deep, deeply, involved, pent, red-hot, sad, shut, stuffy, sullen). (various references) темный (black, blackish, blind, cimmerian, dark, darksome, gloomy, ignorant, lowering, mirk, murk, murky, obscure, sable, shadowy, shady, somber, sombre, sunless, tenebrous, unlit), назойливый кредитор. (various references) odhar (dun-coloured, sallow), lachduinn, creubh. (various references) sivosmeđ konj, sivosmeđ. (various references) de apremio, pardo (brown, grey), color pardo, apremio (foreboding, foreshadowing, pressure), apremiar por pagos de deudas. (various references) indrivare (debt-collector), gråbrun (fulvous), björn (bear, Björn). (various references) สีน้ำตาลมื", ทวงหนี้. (various references) zorla alacağını istemek, sıkıştırmak (astringe, be urgent with smb., bear against, besiege, bombard, bottle up, clamp, clamp down, clinch, come down on, compact, compress, constrict, crowd, crush, drive smb. to the wall, force, grind, grip, heckle, hurry, hustle, impact, impress, incarcerate, jam, jam in, lean on, lean upon, oppress, pin, pin down, pinch, ply, ply with, press, press for, press smb. close, push, push smb. to the wall, rush, shut in, slip into, squeeze, straiten, stress, tighten, tuck, wedge, weigh), karanlık (clouded, dark, darkling, darkness, deep, deepness, dusky, foggy, funny, funny peculiar, gloom, gloominess, gloomy, inkiness, murk, murky, night, obscuration, obscure, obscurity, pitchy, shadow, shadowy, shady, somber, somberness, sombre, sombreness, tenebrous, unlit), boz renk, boz at, boz (dele, Gray, grey, grizzle), ödenmesini istemek (call in). (various references) сірувато-брунатний колір, сірувато-брунатний (dusty), сірий кінь, фарбувати у сірувато-брунатний колір, набридати (aggravate, bother, interfere, persecute, tease, tire, weary, worry), мишастий, докучливий кредитор. (various references) người mắc nợ (debtor), người đòi nợ sự mắc nợ, mờ tối. (various references) gwrm (brown, dark blue). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | appellabatur, appellabit, appellabitur, appellant, appellante, appellaretur, appellaris, appellasset, appellasti, appellata, appellatae, appellati, appellatum, appellatur, appellatus, appellaverunt, appellavit, appellavitque, appelleris. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "dun": dunam, dunams, dunce, dunces, dunch, dunches, duncical, duncish, dunderhead, dunderheaded, dunderheads, dundrearies, dune, duneland, dunelands, dunelike, dunes, dung, dungaree, dungarees, dunged, dungeon, dungeoned, dungeoning, dungeons, dunghill, dunghills, dungier, dungiest, dunging, dungs, dungy, dunite, dunites, dunitic, dunk, dunked, dunker, dunkers, dunking, dunks, dunlin, dunlins, dunnage, dunnages, dunned, dunner, dunness, dunnesses, dunnest, dunning. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "dun": vodun. (additional references) | |
Words containing "dun": adunc, aduncate, aduncous, bedunce, bedunced, bedunces, beduncing, bildungsroman, bildungsromane, bildungsromans, granduncle, granduncles, mundungo, mundungos, mundungus, mundunguses, nonredundant, peduncle, peduncled, peduncles, peduncular, pedunculate, pedunculated, redundancies, redundancy, redundant, redundantly, voduns, whodunit, whodunits, whodunnit, whodunnits. (additional references) | |
| |
"Dun" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: dann, danq, daun, daxn, denn, deun, dewn, dihn, dijn, dinn, dkny, dn, dnp, dnu, domn, donc, dond, donh, donn, doun, doyn, drun, drunt, dsn, dsu, Dubno, duc, duen, duin, Duino, duj, dum, dumn, duna, dunav, dunc, dund, D'unix, dunp, dunt, dunw, Duon, durn, duun, duv, duw, Duyn, duz, Dvu, dyn, eun, Udh, udj, Udn, udon, Udpn, vun. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "dun" (pronounced du"n) |
| 3 | d u" n | done, Donne, outdone, overdone, redone, undone. |
| 2 | -u" n | begun, bun, Bunn, bunt, fun, gun, Hun, Jun, mun, none, nun, one, outrun, pun, rerun, run, shun, son, spun, stun, sun, ton, tonne, Un, won. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "d-n-u" | |
-1 letter: nu, un. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-n-u" | |
+1 letter: bund, dune, dung, dunk, duns, dunt, durn, fund, nude, nurd, unde, undo, undy. | |
+2 letters: adunc, bound, bunds, bundt, daunt, donut, drunk, dunam, dunce, dunch, dunes, dungs, dungy, dunks, dunts, durns, endue, fondu, found, fundi, funds, hound, indue, maund, mound, nidus, nodus, nuder, nudes, nudge, nudie, nudzh, nuked, nurds, pound, round, sound, tuned, ulnad, unbid, undee, under, undid, undue, unfed, unled, unwed, upend, vodun, wound. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Names: Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Abbreviations 16. Acronyms | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
