DAWN'ING, participle present tense 1. Growing light; first appearing luminous; opening; as the dawning day. 2. Opening; expanding; beginning to show intellectual light; beginning. DAWN'ING, noun 1. The first appearance of light in the morning. 2. The first opening or appearance of the intellectual powers; beginning; as the first dawning of notions in the understanding.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI