1. Causing gloom or depression; dreary: dismal weather; took a dismal view of the economy.2. Characterized by ineptitude, dullness, or a lack of merit: a dismal book; a dismal performance on the cello.3.Obsolete Dreadful; disastrous.
NOUN:
Chiefly South Atlantic U.S. See pocosin. See Regional Note at pocosin.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, unlucky days, unlucky, from Anglo-Norman, unlucky days, from Medieval Latin dis mal : Latin dis, pl. of dis, day; see dyeu- in Appendix I + Latin mal, pl. of malus, evil; see mel-3 in Appendix I.
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s mal
: Latin di
