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Don vs Dun - What's the difference?

don | dun |

As nouns the difference between don and dun

is that don is (science) (dissolved organic nitrogen) while dun is fortress.

As a verb dun is

to close, shut.

don

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) dominus'', "lord", "head of household", akin to Spanish ''don'' and Italian ''dom''; from ''domus'', "house", + diminutive suffix ''-inus . Compare dominie.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A university professor, particularly one at Oxford or Cambridge.
  • A mafia boss.
    • Derived terms
    * donnish

    Etymology 2

    A contraction of (etyl) do on. Compare also doff.

    Verb

    (donn)
  • (clothing) to put on, to dress in
    • To don one's clothes.
    Antonyms
    * (put on clothes)
    See also
    * (l) * (l)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    dun

    English

    (wikipedia dun)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) dun, dunne, from (etyl) . Alternative etymology derives the Old English word from Late Brythonic (compare Old Welsh dwnn 'dark (red)'), from (etyl) (compare Old Saxon dosan 'chestnut brown'). More at dusk.

    Noun

  • (uncountable) A brownish grey colour.

    • Adjective

    (-)
  • Of a brownish grey colour.
  • * Pierpont
    • Summer's dun cloud comes thundering up.
  • * Keble
    • Chill and dun / Falls on the moor the brief November day.

    Derived terms

    * dun-bar

    See also

    * bawn * durmast oak *

    Etymology 2

    ; perhaps a variant of din.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (countable) A collector of debts.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • to be pulled by the sleeve by some rascally dun
  • * 1933 , (George Orwell), Down and Out in Paris and London , Ch. 18:
    • Melancholy duns came looking for him at all hours.
  • * 1970 , (John Glassco), Memoirs of Montparnasse , New York 2007, p. 102:
    • ‘Frank's worried about duns ,’ she said as the butler went away.
  • An urgent request or demand of payment.
    • He sent his debtor a dun .

    Verb

    (dunn)
  • To ask or beset a debtor for payment.
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • Hath she sent so soon to dun ?
  • * 1749 , (Henry Fielding), Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 577:
    • Of all he had received from Lady Bellaston, not above five guineas remained and that very morning he had been dunned by a tradesman for twice that sum.
  • * 1940 , (Raymond Chandler), Farewell, My Lovely , Penguin 2010, p. 107:
    • Rich bitches who had to be dunned for their milk bills would pay him right now.
  • To harass by continually repeating e.g. a request.
    • Derived terms
    * dun letter

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A valley in the Himalayan foothills, e.g. Dehra Dun.

    • Etymology 4

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (countable) A newly hatched, immature mayfly.

    • Etymology 5

    See done.

    Verb

    (head)
  • (informal) : (do)
    • He dun''' it before and he '''dun it again.
    Now, ya dun it!

    Etymology 6

    See .

    Contraction

    (en-cont)

    • Etymology 7

    Verb

    (dunn)
  • To cure, as codfish, by laying them, after salting, in a pile in a dark place, covered with saltgrass or a similar substance.

    • Etymology 8

    See dune.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mound or small hill.

    • Etymology 9

    Imitative.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • (humorous)
  • * Carrie Tucker, I Love Geeks
    • Has he allowed the power and the repercussions of the Death Note to influence his entire life? How would you deal with that power? (Dun, dun, DUN! Insert dramatic music here.)
    (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

    * English terms with multiple etymologies ----