Noah Webster
Dismal
DISMAL, adjective s as z. [I am not satisfied with the etymologies of this word which I have seen. ]
1. Dark; gloomy; as a dismal shade.
2. Sorrowful; dire; horrid; melancholy; calamitous; unfortunate; as a dismal accident; dismal effects.
3. Frightful; horrible; as a dismal scream.