noun
dan
dan
noun
1
A ranking level of black belt awarded in martial arts such as judo or karate, or a person holding that rank.
"She tested for her third dan in taekwondo last spring."
"He's a fifth-dan black belt with over twenty years of training."
2
An old-fashioned title of respect placed before a name, roughly meaning "master" or "sir", now found mainly in historical or literary writing.
"The poem addresses its hero as "Dan Chaucer"."
How to Use Dan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost commonly met today as the numbered grades of black belt in martial arts.
Common pairings
first dan
black belt dan grade
dan ranking
Word Forms
dans plural, dans plural, dans plural, dan plural, Dans plural, dans plural
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Etymology
From Middle English "dan"/"daun", borrowed via Anglo-Norman from Latin dominus, "lord" — the same root that gives us "don".