From Middle English derkenen, dirkenen, from Old English *deorcnian, *diercnian, from Proto-West Germanic *dirkinōn, equivalent to dark + -en.

Cognate with Scots derken, durken, Old High German tarchanjan, terchinen, Middle High German terken, derken.

• (America) IPA: /ˈdɑɹkən/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈdɑːkən/

darken (darkens, present participle darkening; simple past and past participle darkened)

1. (transitive) To make dark or darker by reducing light.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Exodus 10:15 ↗:

     […] they [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened […]

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗, lines 56-58:

     So spake the Sovran voice, and Clouds began
     To darken all the Hill […]

2. (intransitive) To become dark or darker (having less light).
3. (impersonal) To get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).
   • 1847 October 15, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XV, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 289 ↗:

     Well, I must go in now; and you too: it darkens.

4. (transitive) To make dark or darker in colour.
5. (intransitive) To become dark or darker in colour.
   • 1979, Mary Stewart, The Last Enchantment‎, New York: Fawcett Crest, Book 4, Chapter 4, p. 405:

     The lovely hair had lost its rose-gold glimmer, and had darkened to rose-brown […]

6. (transitive) To render gloomy, darker in mood.
   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene iv]:

     With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not
     The mirth o’ the feast.

7. (intransitive) To become gloomy, darker in mood.
   • 1797, Ann Radcliffe, The Italian (novel), London: T. Cadell Jun[ior] and W. Davies, Volume 2, Chapter 9, p. 303,

     His countenance darkened while he spoke […]

   • 1942, Emily Carr, “Mrs. Crane”, in The Book of Small, Toronto, Ont.: Oxford University Press, →OCLC ↗:

     Alice’s big eyes darkened with trouble.

8. (transitive) To blind, impair the eyesight.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Romans 9:10 ↗:

     Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see […]

   • 1773, Samuel Johnson, letter to James Boswell dated 5 July, 1773, in James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, Volume I, London: Charles Dilly, p. 424,

     When your letter came to me, I was so darkened by an inflammation in my eye, that I could not for some time read it.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC ↗, Canto IV:

     Such clouds of nameless trouble cross
     ⁠All night below the darken’d eyes;
     ⁠With morning wakes the will, and cries,
     ‘Thou shalt not be the fool of loss.’

9. (intransitive) To be blinded, lose one’s eyesight.
10. (transitive) To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Job 38:2 ↗:

      Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

    • 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC ↗:

      […] such was his wisdome, as his Confidence did seldome darken his Fore-sight […]

11. (transitive) To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
    • c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene iv]:

      I must not think there are
      Evils enow to darken all his goodness:

12. (intransitive) To be extinguished or deprived of vitality, to die.
    • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC ↗, Canto XIX, page 32 ↗:

      The Danube to the Severn gave
      ⁠The darken’d heart that beat no more;
      ⁠They laid him by the pleasant shore,
      And in the hearing of the wave.

• blacken
• swarten

• dark

• French: obscurcir, assombrir
• Italian: imbrunire
• Russian: затемнять
• Spanish: oscurecer, obscurecer

• French: obscurcir (reflexive), assombrir (reflexive)
• German: verdunkeln
• Italian: imbrunire
• Russian: темне́ть

• French: foncer
• Italian: imbrunire
• Russian: затемнять

• French: foncer (reflexive)
• German: verdunkeln
• Italian: imbrunire
• Russian: темне́ть