Dictionary — ontologydriven

dim en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(US) audio
dĭm
/dɪm/

Etymology

From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).

Meanings

Not bright or colorful.
- The lighting was too dim for me to make out his facial features.
- that sustaining Love / Which, through the web of being blindly wove / By man and beast and earth and air and sea, / Burns bright or dim 1821, Percy B[ysshe] Shelley, Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, […], Pisa, Italy: […] Didot; reprinted London: Noel Douglas […], 1927, →OCLC:
(colloquial) Not smart or intelligent.
- He may be a bit dim, but he's not entirely stupid.
Indistinct, hazy or unclear.
- His vision grew dimmer as he aged.
Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
dimmer	Degree=Cmp		lexicographic
dimmest	Degree=Sup		lexicographic

Translations (106)

fr indistinct (indistinct) · oc bèsti (not smart) · pt opaco (not bright, not colourful) · el δυσδιάκριτος (indistinct) · it fioco (not bright, not colourful) · pt sombrio (not bright, not colourful) · pl ciemnawy (not bright, not colourful) · cmn 暗淡 (not bright, not colourful) · nl donker (not bright, not colourful) · mi kaurehu (not bright, not colourful) · lt tamsùs (not smart) · pl przytępiony (not bright, not colourful) · el αμυδρός (indistinct) · hu opálos (not bright, not colourful) · hu színtelen (not bright, not colourful) · nl schemerachtig (not bright, not colourful) · ca tènue (not bright, not colourful) · pl niewyraźny (indistinct) · nl dom (not smart) · no dim (not bright, not colourful) · mk не́јасен (indistinct) · mi pōrewharewha (not smart) · it indistinta (indistinct) · el κουτός (not smart) · no dimme (not bright, not colourful) · vi mờ (not bright, not colourful) · pt besta (not smart) · nl mat (not bright, not colourful) · mi pōrewarewa (not smart) · ja 薄暗い (not bright, not colourful) · pl ciemny (not smart) · cmn 昏 (not bright, not colourful) · it debole (not bright, not colourful) · de dämlich (not smart) · mi rokuroku (not bright, not colourful) · ca borrós (indistinct) · ca ximple (not smart) · ru тупо́й (not smart) · nl schemerig (not bright, not colourful) · it oscura (not bright, not colourful) · pl ciemny (not bright, not colourful) · it oscuro (not bright, not colourful) · uk тьмя́ний (not bright, not colourful) · he כהה (not bright, not colourful) · oc pèc (not smart) · mk та́поглав (not smart) · fr bête (not smart) · lt blausùs (not bright, not colourful) · mk за́маглен (indistinct) · bg мътен (not bright, not colourful) · fr tamisé (not bright, not colourful) · no dimt (not bright, not colourful) · fr faible (not bright, not colourful) · hu ködbe vesző (indistinct) · bg замъглен (indistinct) · pl tępy (not smart) · cmn 模糊 (indistinct) · ru ту́склый (not bright, not colourful) · th มัว (not bright, not colourful) · fi himmeä (not bright, not colourful) · cs mdlý (not bright, not colourful) · nl vaag (indistinct) · pt indistinto (indistinct) · mk тап (not smart) · lv blāvs (not bright, not colourful) · el σκοτεινός (not bright, not colourful) · de dämmerig (not bright, not colourful) · pl niejasny (indistinct) · pdt dunkel (not bright, not colourful) · hu fénytelen (not bright, not colourful) · fr flou (indistinct) · la creper (not bright, not colourful) · pt mortiço (not bright, not colourful) · mk те́мен (not bright, not colourful) · el αχνός (not bright, not colourful) · ru сму́тный (indistinct) · ca beneit (not smart) · cmn 昏暗 (not bright, not colourful) · oc indistint (indistinct) · hu elmosódott (indistinct) · cmn 遲鈍 /迟钝 (not smart) · ru нея́сный (indistinct) · az tutqun (not bright, not colourful) · bg неясен (indistinct) · mk ма́тен (not bright, not colourful) · te మసక (not bright, not colourful) · pl przyćmiony (not bright, not colourful) · cs tmavý (not bright, not colourful) · it tonto (not smart) · hu sötét (not smart) · ro vag (indistinct) · kix tǖsīesīe (indistinct) · de schummrig (not bright, not colourful) · mi pongipongi (not bright, not colourful) · hu homályos (indistinct) · it fioca (not bright, not colourful) · el αμυδρός (not bright, not colourful) · ja 仄暗い (not bright, not colourful) · ca indistint (indistinct) · la fuscus (not bright, not colourful) · ja 朧気 (indistinct) · grc ἀμαυρός (not bright, not colourful) · it indistinto (indistinct) · ro tern (not bright, not colourful) · pt obtuso (not smart) · it tonta (not smart)

dim en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(US) audio
dĭm
/dɪm/

Etymology

From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).

Meanings

(archaic, uncountable) Dimness.
- All about me the Red Weed clambered among the ruins, writhing to get above me in the dim. Night, the Mother of Fear and Mystery, was coming upon me. 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 278:

dim en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(US) audio
dĭm
/dɪm/

Etymology

From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).

Meanings

(transitive) To make something less bright.
- He dimmed the lights and put on soft music.
(intransitive) To become darker.
- The lights dimmed briefly when the air conditioning was turned on.
To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct.
- a king among his courtiers,[…] who out to dim the lustre of all his attendants 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC:
- Now ſet the ſun, and twilight dimm'd the ways, […] 1791, Homer, “[The Odyssey.] Book II.”, in W[illiam] Cowper, transl., The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Translated into Blank Verse, […], volume II, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 42, line 501:
To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
- Her starry eyes were dimm'd with streaming tears. 1740, Christopher Pitt, The Aeneid:
- And with our Sun-bright armour as we march, Weel chaſe the Starrs from heauen, and dim their eies That ſtand and muſe at our admyred armes. c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iii:
(figuratively) To diminish, dull, or curtail.
- Nothing will dim their spirit of resilience.
- All these setbacks had started to dim the hopes of the students.
- A glut might dim the outlook for grain futures.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Source
dimmed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
dimmed	Tense=Past	lexicographic
dimming	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
dims	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic

Deriveds

dimmer · bedim · fordim · nondimmable · undimmable · undimmed · dimmable · undimming · autodimming · dim out

Relateds

dim mak · dim sum

Translations (48)

mi whakauriuri (to become darker) · pl zaciemniać (to make something less bright) · el θολώνω (to make something less bright) · it annebbiare (to make something less bright) · gl esvaecer (to make something less bright) · nl dimmen (to make something less bright) · pt ofuscar (to make something less bright) · mi whakauriuri (to make something less bright) · de dimmen (to make something less bright) · ga ísligh (to make something less bright) · pt escurecer (to become darker) · nl verduisteren (to make something less bright) · ta மங்கலான (to make something less bright) · it annerire (to make something less bright) · mk за́темни (to make something less bright) · mk по́темни (to become darker) · it abbassare (to make something less bright) · de verdunkeln (to make something less bright) · gl atenuar (to make something less bright) · bg помътнявам (to make something less bright) · pl ciemnieć (to become darker) · fi himmentää (to make something less bright) · mi whakakaurehu (to make something less bright) · pl ćmić (to become darker) · pl ściemniać (to make something less bright) · uk потьмяні́ти (to become darker) · it offuscare (to make something less bright) · pl zaciemnić (to make something less bright) · uk тьмяні́ти (to become darker) · vi nhòa (to become darker) · it affievolire (to make something less bright) · gl escurecer (to become darker) · pl mrocznieć (to become darker) · pl przyciemniać (to make something less bright) · el θαμπώνω (to make something less bright) · ga ísligh (to become darker) · mi parewaikohu (to become darker) · pl omroczyć (to make something less bright) · it affievolirsi (to become darker) · mk за́темни (to become darker) · bg потъмнявам (to become darker) · es dimear (to make something less bright) · pl zaćmić (to make something less bright) · nl afblinden (to make something less bright) · pl mierzchnąć (to become darker) · ru тускнеть (to become darker) · mk по́мати (to make something less bright) · ru затемнять (to make something less bright)

dim en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

(US) audio
dĭm
/dɪm/

Meanings

(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, not-comparable) Clipping of diminished.
alt of diminished

Antonyms

bright · colored · multicolored

Hyponyms

dark colour · sallow · achromatic · dun · matt · matte · flat · beige · drab

Relateds

dim. · dark · pallid · cheerless

Synonyms

dim · uncolorful · muddy · wan · dull · lackluster · faint · colourless · unholiday · sober · sad · dingy · leaden · bland