down
/ˈdaʊ̯n/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.88 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
To or towards what is considered the bottom of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically lower.
adv
To the south (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).
adv
Away from the city (regardless of direction).
adv
At or towards any place that is visualised as 'down' by virtue of local features or local convention, or arbitrarily, irrespective of direction or elevation change.
adv
Example Sentences
- "The cat jumped down from the table."
- "She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man."
- "To her humiliation Jessamy found there were tears trickling down her cheeks."
- "Through the open front door ran Jessamy, down the steps to where Kitto was sitting at the bottom with the pram beside him."
- "Go down to the bottom of the page."
- "As I lay on my back, a pain shot down from my neck to my waist."
Etymology
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”). More at Etymology 2 below. For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), Middle Low German dāle (“down, downwards”, literally “(in/to the) dale/valley”), whence German Low German dal (“down”). Compare also Saterland Frisian deel (“down”, literally “to/into the dale”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdaʊ̯n/
- British English: /ˈdaʊ̯n/
Usage
Inflected Forms
further down (comparative)
farther down (comparative)
furthest down (superlative)
farthest down (superlative)
doon (alternative, Northumbria)
more down (comparative)
most down (superlative)
downs (present, singular)
downing (participle, present)
downed (participle, past)
downed (past)
downs (plural)