darnel

From Middle English darnel, dernel, from Old Northern French darnelle ( > dialectal French dernelle, darnette), of Germanic origin, possibly Proto-West Germanic *darjan (“to harm, injure”).

Related to Walloon darne, derne (“stunned, dazed, drunk”), Middle Dutch verdarnt, verdaernt (“stunned, dumbfounded, angry”). The association with being dazed or drunkenness is due to the well-known intoxicating effects of the plant.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑːnəɫ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

  Note: this pronunciation may be nonstandard or incorrect: ends in -ɛl rather than -əl

darnel (usually uncountable, plural darnels)

1. Any of genus Lolium of grasses, especially as a weed in wheat fields.

   Synonym: ryegrass

   1. especially, species Lolium temulentum, often host to a fungus intoxicating to humans and animals.

   Synonyms: bearded darnel, poison darnel, white darnel

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:

     With harlocks, hemlock, nettles, cuckoo-flowers, / Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow / In our sustaining corn.

• (Lolium temulentum):

• Persian darnel (Lolium persicum)
• red darnel (Lolium perenne)

• Darnell

• “darnel”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Lolium temulentum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Lolium temulentum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Lolium temulentum on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• darnel at USDA Plants database (L. temulentum)
• darnel at USDA Plants database (L. persicum)

• Ladner, learn'd, reland, Randle, Rednal, learnd, enlard, aldern, Nadler, Lander, Lenard, larned, Randel, Larned, lander