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# dawn
- URL: https://keithhayden.net/dawn/
- Published: 2026-08-29T14:03:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-29T14:14:47.000Z
- Description: A time of day noun
- Author: Keith Hayden
- Tags: #hfd-word

29 AUG 2026 

0/5 word facts discovered 

## dawn

/dɔːn/, /dɑːn/

noun

the first appearance of light in the morning followed by sunrise; beginning

dawn 29·08·26 

c. 1200 Middle English · to become day 

01 Keith’s definition 

the period of first natural light of the morning, or the figurative beginning of an event

02 Official meaning 

the first appearance of light in the morning followed by sunrise; beginning

03 In use 

> Another pillar of light ascended to the floating dawn clouds.

04 Hear it 

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### Useless facts

- **The surprisingly eventful life of *dawn***  
Before *dawn* was a noun, it was an action. Around 1200, Middle English **dauen** meant “to become day” or “to grow light in the morning.” It descended through Old English **dagung** and **dagian**, relatives of the word *day*.  
By the 1590s, English had turned the action into the familiar noun for first daylight. Earlier speakers had used luminous alternatives including **dayspring**, **day-gleam**, and **dawning**. The figurative “beginning of an era” sense appeared in the 1630s, letting every new age borrow the morning’s first light.
- The Scrabble score is **8 points**: D = 2, A = 1, W = 4, and N = 1.
- **4 letters** and **1 syllable.**
- Merriam-Webster records two common American pronunciations: **/dɔːn/** and **/dɑːn/**.
- Weather observers recognize three dawn thresholds: **astronomical at 18°**, **nautical at 12°**, and **civil at 6°** below the horizon.
- The sense “begin to develop” appeared by **1717**; an idea could “dawn on” someone by **1852**.
- *Dawn* was a top-25 name for American girls born from **1966 through 1975**.
- The example sentence appears in *Gates of Okinawa* (2024). [Read *Gates of Okinawa* → ](https://keithhayden.net/gates-of-okinawa/)

HAYDEN’S FIELD DICTIONARY [ ← Return to the Word Archive ](https://keithhayden.net/haydens-field-dictionary-archive/) 

WORD COMPLETE **dawn** noun 5 FACTS RECOVERED FIELD ARCHAEOLOGIST **YOU**