Gloomy, grim, or dismal in appearance; causing dismay.
From 'be-' (an intensifying prefix) + 'dismal' (from Old French 'dismalli' or Latin 'dies mali,' meaning 'evil days'). The 'be-' prefix may intensify the sense of grimness.
This is an extremely rare adjective that appears almost nowhere in modern text. It suggests a 'be-' formation from 'dismal,' though it's uncertain whether it was ever truly used or is a scholarly reconstruction.
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