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dank

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Unpleasantly moist, damp, and cold—evoking a gloomy or oppressive atmosphere, common in descriptive or Gothic verse.

Detailed Definition
“Dank” evokes oppressive humidity—dungeons, caves, or graveyards. In Gothic and elegiac poetry, it symbolizes decay, despair, or entrapment. Its guttural consonants mimic discomfort, enhancing sensory immersion. Poets use it to create atmosphere where physical chill mirrors emotional or spiritual desolation, reinforcing themes of isolation, death, or supernatural dread.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The dungeon was dank and cold," in a gothic lyric; In Coleridge: "The dank and dripping cavern"; "Dank mists rose from the fen," a line of eerie atmosphere; Shakespeare’s Lear: "Through the sharp hawthorn blows the cold wind... / His eyes beginning to be weary... / In the dank night"; "Her heart grew dank with sorrow"; The forest floor lay dank after rain.
Additional Notes
“Dank” evokes cold, clammy dampness associated with dungeons, graves, or marshes; in Gothic or elegiac verse, it creates atmosphere of decay, imprisonment, or spiritual desolation through tactile and olfactory imagery.
Also Known As
damp moist humid
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