The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

dawning \dawn"ing\ n.
   the first light of day; dawn.

   Syn: dawn, morning, aurora, first light, daybreak, break of
        day, break of the day, dayspring, sunrise, sunup,
        cockcrow.
        [WordNet 1.5]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Dawn \Dawn\ (d[add]n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dawned (d[add]nd);
   p. pr. & vb. n. Dawning.] [OE. dawnen, dawen, dagen, daien,
   AS. dagian to become day, to dawn, fr. d[ae]g day; akin to D.
   dagen, G. tagen, Icel. daga, Dan. dages, Sw. dagas. See
   Day. [root]71.]
   1. To begin to grow light in the morning; to grow light; to
      break, or begin to appear; as, the day dawns; the morning
      dawns.
      [1913 Webster]

            In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn
            toward the first day of the week, came Mary
            Magdalene . . . to see the sepulcher. --Matt.
                                                  xxviii. 1.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To began to give promise; to begin to appear or to expand.
      "In dawning youth." --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

            When life awakes, and dawns at every line. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

            Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid. --Heber,
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

dawning
    n 1: the first light of day; "we got up before dawn"; "they
         talked until morning" [syn: dawn, dawning, morning,
         aurora, first light, daybreak, break of day, break
         of the day, dayspring, sunrise, sunup, cockcrow]
         [ant: sundown, sunset]