What does dung mean?
Dung is the excrement of animals, most commonly referring to the droppings of livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep, and elephants. It functions primarily as a noun but can also serve as a verb meaning to fertilize land with manure. The word carries a neutral to slightly rustic register — it is less clinical than 'excrement' and less coarse than many slang alternatives, which makes it a favourite in agricultural writing, nature documentaries, and ecology. Dung plays an outsized role beyond its humble nature: it is a vital fertiliser in traditional farming, a fuel source in many parts of the world, and the foundation of entire ecosystems. Dung beetles, which feed on and bury dung, are among the most studied insects for their navigational abilities and ecological importance. The word appears in fixed phrases like 'dung beetle' and 'cow dung', and it remains common in both British and American English.
The excrement of animals, especially livestock; manure.
"Elephant dung is an important seed dispersal agent in African forests."
Neutral register; common in agricultural and ecological contexts.
To fertilize (land) with manure.
"The crofter dunged the field ahead of the barley sowing."
Chiefly British and somewhat old-fashioned or dialectal in use.
Dung is usually treated as uncountable when referring to the substance generally; a plural form exists mainly in technical contexts referring to different kinds or samples of dung.
"Researchers collected dungs from several herbivore species for analysis."
Dung beetles can bury dung up to 250 times their own body weight in a single night — nature's most dedicated recyclers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dung
Dung comes from Old English 'dung', which already meant excrement or manure, and is cognate with similar words in other Germanic languages such as Old Norse 'dyngja'. The word has remained remarkably stable in form and meaning for over a thousand years. It belongs to the Germanic language family rather than deriving from Latin or Greek roots, so its true cognates are Germanic rather than Romance.
Related word forms
How dung is actually used
Register is somewhat informal-to-neutral; 'dung' is more common in British English and often used in ecological, agricultural, or naturalist contexts where 'manure' or the coarser 'muck' might otherwise appear.
Easily confused with dung
Dunk means to dip something into liquid, while dung refers to animal excrement.