darnel
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dar·nel
(där′nəl)n. pl. dar·nels
Any of several ryegrasses, especially Lolium temulentum.
[Middle English, of Old North French origin; akin to French dialectal darnelle, from darne, dizzy, dazed (darnel being so called because L. temulentum, a common weed of wheat fields, is often rendered toxic by a fungal infection similar to ergot, and consumption of bread made from flour contaminated with toxic darnel causes dizziness and lethargy), of Germanic origin; akin to -daert in Middle Dutch verdaert, dazed, and -turni in Old High German biturni, dazed, both perhaps akin to Middle Dutch deren, and Old High German tarēn, tarōn, to harm, ultimately of unknown origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
darnel
(ˈdɑːnəl)n
(Plants) any of several grasses of the genus Lolium, esp L. temulentum, that grow as weeds in grain fields in Europe and Asia
[C14: probably related to French (Walloon dialect) darnelle, of obscure origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
dar•nel
(ˈdɑr nl)n.
any weedy grass of the genus Lolium.
[1275–1325; Middle English; compare French (Walloon) darnelle, probably < Germanic]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  darnel - weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land; seeds sometimes considered poisonous |
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