An exclamation expressing frustration, anger, or annoyance.
Contraction of 'damn it,' from Middle English damnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnare meaning 'to condemn.' The religious curse evolved into a general expression of frustration by the 16th century.
This word perfectly demonstrates how religious taboos become everyday expressions - what once invoked divine condemnation now just means you stubbed your toe. It's a linguistic fossil of medieval Christianity embedded in modern casual speech.
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