Drawn

Drawn is the past participle of the verb draw. It appears in perfect tenses (has drawn, had drawn) and in the passive voice (was drawn). The meaning shifts with the sense of draw: to sketch, to pull, to attract, or to extract.

As an adjective, drawn describes something that has been pulled or extended. Examples include drawn curtains, a drawn carriage, or a drawn sword. It can also describe a person with a fatigued or strained appearance: a drawn face. The term can appear in compounds and phrases such as drawn-out, meaning prolonged or extended.

Common phrases and constructions with drawn include drawn and quartered, a historical punishment; something drawn from a hat or deck, meaning selected by chance; and drawn-out, used to describe processes or debates that last longer than necessary.

Originating in Old English as dragan, meaning "to pull," drawn has its modern participle ending from historical changes in English pronunciation and spelling. It is related to similarly formed participles in other Germanic languages and evolved through Middle English.

In usage, drawn functions as a versatile participle and adjective. Its core idea remains tied to pulling or creating something that has already occurred: an action completed (drawn), a line or outline created (a drawn sketch, though the noun is more common), or a state resulting from an act (drawn curtains, drawn-out time, drawn fatigue). The term is common in everyday English and in historical contexts.