dimmet

English

Alternative forms

• dimmit

Etymology

Likely related to dim +‎ -et.

Noun

dimmet (countable and uncountable, plural dimmets)

1. (UK dialectal, West Country) Twilight; dusk; crepusculum.
   • 1746 July, Peter Lock, “An Exmoor Scolding; in the Propriety and Decency of Exmoor Language, between Two Sisters, Wilmot Moreman and Thomasin Moreman, as They Were ſspinning”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, volume XVI, page 354, column 1:

     W.] How, huſſey! ya confounded traſh ! Diſt remember whan tha wenſt out in tha Vuzzey-Park, in the deſk o' tha yeaveling, jeſt in tha dimmet, wi' tha young Humphry Hoſegood,–and how ha mullad and ſoulad about tha? Ha bed tha zet down;—and tha zedſt tha wudſt net, nif ha ded net blow tha down. Zo ha blow'd, and down tha valſt. Who ſhud be hard by (vor 'twas in tha dimmet) but tha ſquare's bealy;—and vorewey ha cry'd out that oll windvalls belongad to's meaſter.

   • 1836, Gerald Griffin, chapter VIII, in The Duke of Monmouth, London: Richard Bentley, pages 108-109:

     AQUILA.
     Dewy dimmet!* silent hour!
     Welcome to our cottage bow'r !
     […]
     BOTH.
     Dusky dimmet! dewy hour!
     Welcome to our lonely bow'r!

   • 1837, Mary Palmer, A Dialogue in the Devonshire Dialect, London: Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman; P. Hannaford, page 23:

     Rab. If I let thee go now, will meet me agen to morrow evening in the dimmet ?
     Bet. No. To-morrow morning at milking time I woll.

   • 1876 January, Edward W. L. Davies, “Frank Raleigh of Watercombe”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume XXVIII, number 191, Chapter XXII, page 73:

     The ' dimmet ' was fast fading into dark night when the outbuildings of Watercombe were at length reached ; […]

   • 1869, Frances Mary Oxenham, chapter XXII, in Not Yet: A Tale of the Present Day, London: Burns, Oates, & Co., page 271:

     But, perhaps, reflecting that cowardice, in any form, is disgraceful to a soldier, he jumped off his horse, and rang the bell with an energy that startled Mrs. Trelawney and Maude, as they sat pretending to sleep by the fire, “in the dimmets,” between daylight and candle-light; and elicited a vigorous “Lawk a mussey !”

   • 1887 November 19, Lymington, “Richard Jefferies, and the Open Air”, in Littell's Living Age, volume 175, number 2264, page 434, column 2:

     In this village the word twilight is almost unknown. It is the “dimmets ” that describes the evening hour.

   • 1894, Sabine Baring-Gould, “Kitty Alone: A Story of Three Fires”, in Good Words, volume XXXV, number 21, Chapter XXL.–An Offer, page 295:

     If it be moonlight, or dimmets (twilight), and I see the little silver tuft glitter above her head, then I shall know where her be.

   • 1892 December, Sybil Maxwell, “Bargis: A Story of Superstitions”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, volume CCLXXIII, number 1944, page 604:

     " I suppose, sir, yu'Il give up they evening services to Torford now the nights be getting long?"
     […]
     " Can you see in the dark, Will? "
     " Ah, folks may laugh from hignorance ; but there's the dimmet, my dear, that's neither to zay light nor darkness, when they be abroad that's not living nor quite in their graves. […] "

   • 2016, Mari Griffith, “Midsummer 1435” (chapter 2), in The Witch of Eye‎^[1], Headline Book Publishing:

     ‘I told you we’d get here by dimmet-time,’ Robin said with a smile in his eyes.
     ‘And we did,’ said Jenna, wondering why he was so amused.
     ‘This time of day is called “evening” in these parts, or sometimes “dusk”.’
     ‘Not dimmet?’
     ‘No. They’d probably think you meant dinner-time,’ he said, ‘so you'd get nothing to eat. Well, I did warn you!’ Jenna groaned at him but took the advice to heart.

German

Pronunciation

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Verb

dimmet

1. second-person plural subjunctive I of dimmen