den English · revision 10538

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725|origins=ang denn}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /den/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ang|denn|t=wild animal's lair]] (about 725, in Beowulf),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from [[m|gem-pro|*danjan]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) related to Old English denu, valley (see [[dean]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline) and cognate with Middle Low German denne “lair, valley” and Old High German tenni, threshing floor (German Tenne).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) Barnhart and Merriam-Webster connect it with Greek thénar, palm of the hand, and Sanskrit dhánu-, sandbank, from an Indo-European word for a flat surface.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The lair of a wild beast, about 1000 in the OED's first quotation.^(OED 1989)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A cave or hollow place is from before 1300,^(OED 1989) and a secret haunt, likened to a beast's lair (a den of thieves), from about 1275.^(OED 1989) A small, squalid room is from 1837,^(OED 1989) and a small private room where a man can work or relax from 1771,^(OED 1989) which became the American cozy family room.^(Barnhart 1988) In Scotland and northern England den means a wooded hollow between hills (1552),^(OED 1989)^(Wright 1898) and in children's games a base or place of safety.^(Collins 2023) The verb, to live in a den, is from the 13th century.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – denn.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1275 – a haunt or retreat.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1552 – a wooded dell (Scots).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1771 – a private room.^(OED 1989)

+ * 13th century – to den (verb).^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The shelter of a wild animal; a [[lair]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A hidden or [[squalid]] place where people meet: ''a den of thieves''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A small room set apart for study, a hobby or relaxation.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A unit of about eight to ten Cub Scouts.^(AHD)

+ # ''(Scotland)'' A small wooded valley; a [[dingle]].^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To live or hide in a den.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[den mother]]

+ * [[lion's den]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dean]]

+ * [[dene]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Den in ''good den'', found in Elizabethan drama, is a contraction of ''good e'en'', good evening.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}