Dung

Concepts

dung

manure

fertilizer

muck

night soil

fertiliser

feces

guano

excrement

Synonyms

Mist

Dünger

Düngemittel

Guano

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dʊŋ/

Etymology

From Middle High German tunc, tunge, from Old High German tung, tunga, from Proto-Germanic *dungō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰengʰ- (“to cover”).
The word also meant in High German—and it seems exclusively in Low German (compare Old Saxon dung)—a dwelling or storage room (originally under the earth and covered with dung), from Proto-West Germanic *dung (“cellar”); also compare *dungijǭ (“dung-hill, dung-heap; bower”). The modern consonantism is of regional origin (see düngen). Cognate to English dung.