Bedarken

/bɪˈdɑːrkən/ verb

Definition

An alternate or archaic form meaning to make dark or thoroughly obscure.

Etymology

A variant of 'bedark' formed by adding the common Middle English '-en' suffix to create a verb form, found in historical texts and poetry where multiple verb forms coexisted.

Kelly Says

English used to be much more flexible with verb endings—writers would use 'bedark,' 'bedarken,' 'bedarks,' sometimes all in the same text! This fluidity shows English was still in creative ferment during the early modern period.

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