Why is the word damn spelled with an “n”? :dubious:
Because it’s from the Latin word “damnare”?
The Latin root is “damnare” – to condemn. That explains why the “n” is there at least. But since it’s not pronounced, it doesn’t explain why we don’t spell is “dam,” other than to avoid confusion with what beavers make.
ETA: Gus beat me to it!
My OED is in my other pants but you get the idea. Comes from a longer word in Middle English.
Does it have anything to do with the lengthier forms of the word, like damnation and damnable, where you pronounce the “n”?
From the OED…
[a. OF. dampne-r, damne-r, ad. L. damnáre, dampnáre, orig. to inflict damage or loss upon, to condemn, doom to punishment; taken early into F. in legal and theological use. Cf. Pr. dampnar, It. damnare.]
Because damgry was already taken. 
As in, “I tripped over your damn bicycle on the sidewalk, and damnare broke my arm.”
OK, now you have to give us the definition.
That’s not unique – you have “sign” and “signature,” for instance (in that case, the “g” in “sign” is silent).
But, ultimately, the answer is that a consensus developed that “damn” had an “n” at the end.
See the ‘d’ in
14 k of g in a f p d. It’s a synonym for that.
You go to hell!
Go to hell and die!
(this post meant entirely in jest. please don’t go to hell)
((unless that’s your thing))
I get the idea that DAMN those are some big ass pants.
Ha! Like that kind of thing has ever been a concern in English!
It’s the fourth word in English that ends with “gry.”
Are you suggesting, sir (or madam), that beaver is of no concern to the English?!? Please do not dis our Dopers across the pond! (They do have beaver over there, don’t they?)
Certainly not! I was suggesting that speakers of the English language have apparently never given a dam(n) bit of worry about the same word meaning multiple, unrelated things
Or as one beaver said to the other beaver …
“I’ve dammed because I do, but I’ll be damned if I don’t …”
Which raises the question of why the n in “condemn.”