An archaic past tense of 'dare,' meaning someone was bold or brave enough to do something risky or challenging.
From Old English 'durran' (to dare). This word is rarely used in modern English except in classical literature and poetry, where it appears in older texts from centuries past.
You'll find 'durst' in Shakespeare and the King James Bible—he 'durst not speak the truth' means he didn't dare speak the truth. It's a perfect example of how English verb conjugations have changed; we no longer say 'I durst,' we say 'I dared.'
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