Dawnen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic verb meaning to become light as the day begins to break ; to start to be recognized or understood by the mind
2. To grow bright at daybreak as the sun approaches the horizon ; to gradually come into awareness or become clear to someone
3. Of the sky, to brighten at the start of a morning ; of an understanding or idea, to slowly emerge and become apparent

Etymology: Before "dawn" could stand on its own as a verb, Middle English speakers used "dawnen," with the infinitive ending "-en" still attached. It descends from the Old English verb "dagian," meaning to become day or to grow light, which was built on "dæg," the word for day. The verb was therefore essentially "to day," describing the sky moving from night into daylight. Over the centuries the ending wore away, as it did for many Middle English verbs, leaving the bare "dawn." The sense also widened. The verb came to describe the first faint appearance of anything, including a realization, which is why "it dawned on me" still means that an understanding gradually became clear.