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How did dander acquire its "temper" sense? There are several theories, though the evidence is inconclusive. It has been proposed that the meaning comes from the image of an angry person tearing out their hair by the fistful, scattering dandruff in the process. Some think it comes from a West Indian word dander, which refers to a kind of ferment and suggests "rising" anger (in English, ferment can mean "a state of unrest or excitement"). Others have suggested that the "anger" sense comes from the Dutch phrase op donderen, meaning "to burst into a sudden rage."
Examples of dander in a Sentence
Lauren David, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026
People with pet allergies aren’t reacting to fur, but to proteins in dander, saliva and urine, which can get into the air and trigger symptoms.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Allergic rhinitis is when your nasal passages become inflamed as an immune response to allergens in the air like pollen, dust, or pet dander.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 2 Dec. 2025
Its filter removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.1 microns, including dust, dander, pollen and mold.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dander. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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dander
noun
