From Middle English darnel, dernel, from Old Northern French darnelle ( > dialectal French dernelle, darnette), of Germanic origin, possibly Proto-West Germanic *darjan ("to harm, injure").
Related to Walloon darne, derne, Middle Dutch verdarnt, verdaernt. The association with being dazed or drunkenness is due to the well-known intoxicating effects of the plant.
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