·adj Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky.
II. Dismal ·adj Gloomy to the eye or ear; sorrowful and depressing to the feelings; foreboding; cheerless; dull; dreary; as, a dismal outlook; dismal stories; a dismal place.
The psalm sung by the felons at the gallows, just before they are turned off. ...
Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose