When you say that a particular day dawned, you mean it arrived or began, usually when it became light. When the great day dawned, the first concern was the weather
The dawn of a period of time or a situation is the beginning of it. the dawn of the radio age
1 the awakening of new forces 2 a healing 3 a fresh perceptive or new approach 4 a break through in understanding
To begin to grow light in the morning; to grow light; to break, or begin to appear; as, the day dawns; the morning dawns
If something is dawning, it is beginning to develop or come into existence. Throughout Europe a new railway age, that of the high-speed train, has dawned + dawning dawn·ing the dawning of the space age
the earliest period; "the dawn of civilization"; "the morning of the world" the first light of day; "we got up before dawn"; "they talked until morning" an opening time period; "it was the dawn of the Roman Empire" become light; "It started to dawn, and we had to get up" appear or develop; "The age of computers had dawned