See Also: night(dictionary)
Fly-by-Night(money)
night owl(dictionary)
Night(medicine)
night(2)(dictionary)
night(1)(dictionary)
twi-night(dictionary)
fly-by-night(dictionary)
NIGHT(law)
first night(dictionary)

night(1) (iou)



night noun.

a. The period of darkness which intervenes between day and day; that part of the natural day (of 24 hours) during which no light is received from the sun; the time between evening and morning. OE.
Shelley Evening must usher night. Byron Her eyelashes, though dark as night, were tinged. personified: Pope The sable Throne behold Of Night primaeval and of Chaos old.
b. The darkness which prevails during this time; the dark. ME.
P. Bowles Converging rows of..lights leading off into the night.
(A period of) figurative darkness; (a period of) depression, obscurity, ignorance, etc.; death. OE.
Dryden Dido..clos'd her Lids at last, in endless Night. M. L. King Daybreak..had come to end the long night of their captivity.
Each of the intervals of darkness between two days. OE.
wedding night etc.
G. H. Johnston 'It's early yet,' he retorted..'The night's young.' R. Conquest We got awayfor just two nights. I. McEwan He had slept well the night before.
b. Such an interval as characterized by the kind of weather or other natural feature or by the quality of rest obtained or by the manner in which the time is spent. LOE.
T. S. Eliot Restless nights in..cheap hotels. J. B. Priestley To see how the people..enjoy themselves on a damp night in autumn.
c. With possess. The particular night on which a person performs some duty (formerly spec. receives visitors), engages in a particular activity, etc. E16.
C. Johnston The footman answered, that it was not his lady's night.
d. With possess. The kind of night one has had, or usually has. M17.
B. Rubens Had his father known of his son's night, he would not have woken him.
e. An evening or night devoted to a performance of a play, music, etc., or to a particular activity. Freq. with specifying word. E18.
W. de la Mare It was 'bath-night' on Saturday. H. A. Jones Mrs Dane's Defence ran for 200 nights. Listener Beethoven nights at the old Queen's Hall.
f. As interjection. (Also 'night.) = GOOD NIGHT interjection. colloq. E20.
R. Ingalls 'Night all,' he said.
The time at which darkness comes on; the close or end of daylight. Also, bedtime. ME.
Milton It was the hour of night.
Phrases: all night (long), all the night (long) throughout the night, from nightfall to daybreak. at night at nightfall, in the evening; in the period from 6 p.m. to midnight. at nights during the night, by night. by night during the night, in the night-time. by night and day always, at any time. dark night (of the soul): see DARK adjective. day and night: see DAY noun. early night: see EARLY adjective. first night: see FIRST adjective etc. in the night by night, during the night. ladies' night, lady of the night: see LADY noun & adjective. last night: see LAST adjective. last thing (at night): see LAST adverb etc. late night: see LATE adjective & noun2. make a night of it: see MAKE verb. MORNING, noon, and night. night and day: see DAY noun. night in a night at home, an evening on which one does not go out. night off a night free from work or one's usual duties. night of the long knives (a) a treacherous massacre, as (according to legend) of the Britons by Hengist in 472, or of Ernst Roehm and his associates by Hitler on 29-30 June 1934; (b) a ruthless or decisive action held to resemble this. of the night = in the night above. night or day, (arch.) night nor day by night or by day, at any time. night out (a) an evening on which a domestic servant is free to go out; (b) an evening or night spent in enjoyment or revelling away from one's home; a spree. o' nights = on nights (a) below. on nights (a) by night (habitually); (b) colloq. working night shifts. queen of night, queen-of-the-night: see QUEEN noun. ships that pass in the night: see SHIP noun 1. spend the night remain until the next day; remain with as an overnight guest; go to bed for the night with or together and have sexual intercourse. stag night: see STAG noun etc. stay the night: see STAY verb1. the MORNING after the night before. the night (a) adverb during the night, by night; (b) the first occasion on which a play, entertainment, etc., is publicly performed (freq. in it will be all right on the night, expr. optimism that an unpromising performance etc. will go well when it really matters). the other night: see OTHER adjective. TOMORROW night. Twelfth Night: see TWELFTH adjective. twilight night: see TWILIGHT adjective. under night: see UNDER preposition. WALPURGIS night. watch-night: see WATCH noun. white night: see WHITE adjective. YESTERDAY night.
Attrib. & comb.: In the senses 'of or pertaining to night', 'existing, taking place, etc., during the night (or in the evening)', '(intended to be) worn or used during the night', 'operating, acting, or on duty during the night', as night-attire, night-bombing, night breeze, night-driving, night ferry, night flight, night porter, night raid, night train. Special combs., as night-adapted adjective = dark-adapted adjective s.v. DARK noun1; night adder a nocturnal venomous African viper of the genus Causus, esp. C. rhombeatus, a grey snake with darker patches, common in southern Africa; night bag a travelling-bag containing necessaries for the night, an overnight bag; night-bell a bell to summon a person at night, esp. one on a street-door to summon a porter etc.; nightbird (a) a bird that is chiefly (or only) heard or seen by night; esp. an owl, a nightingale; (b) a person who habitually goes about or out at night; night-blooming adjective = night-flowering below; night-blooming cereus, any of several tropical cacti of the genera Hylocereus and Selenicereus, with flowers that open only at night, esp. H. undatus, which has very large fragrant white flowers; night-blind adjective = NYCTALOPIC; night-blindness poor vision in dim light; = NYCTALOPIA; night-blue (of) any of various dark blues, esp. those which retain the colour under artificial light; night boat a passenger-boat which makes a crossing overnight; night bolt an inside bolt serving to secure a door by night; night bomber an aircraft that drops bombs at night; the pilot of such an aircraft; night-bound adjective bound, confined, or impeded by night or darkness; night-box a small (French) nightclub; night-cape fig. a wife; night-cart a cart used in removing night-soil; night-cellar Hist. a low-class tavern or place of resort during the night, situated in a cellar; night chain a chain for securing a door at night; night-chair a close-stool or commode for use at night; night class = EVENING class; night clock a clock with an interior light allowing the time to be read in the dark; nightclothes (a) clothes worn in bed; (b) negligee or informal dress worn in the evening; nightclub a club or similar establishment that opens at night, usu. providing food, drink, and entertainment; nightclubber a frequenter of nightclubs; nightclubbing the frequenting of nightclubs; nightclubby adjective characteristic or fond of nightclubs; night coach (a) a coach that travels at night; (b) US a commercial aircraft flying at night; night crawler N. Amer. a large earthworm, esp. one caught at night to be used as fishing bait; night cream (a) cosmetic cream that is applied to the face at night; night-crow arch. a bird supposed to croak or cry during the night and to be of evil omen; nightdress a loose garment worn in bed, now spec. by women and children; night effect irregularity of the strength and apparent direction of received radio waves of certain frequencies, especially marked at night, owing to the reception of polarized waves reflected by the ionosphere; night error: in direction-finding due to night effect; night eye (a) US = CHESTNUT 3; (b) an eye able to see or adapted for seeing in the dark (usu. in pl.); nightfall the coming on of night, the end of daylight, the time of dusk; night-fighter a fighter aircraft used or designed for use at night; the pilot of such an aircraft; night-flower a flower that opens or blooms during the night; night-flowering adjective having flowers that open only at night; night-flowering cereus = night-blooming cereus above; night-fly verb intrans. fly in an aircraft at night; night flying flying in an aircraft at night; night-flying adjective (of an insect, bird, etc.) that flies at night; night-gear nightclothes; night-glass a short refracting telescope for use at night; nightglow Meteorology the faint light emitted by the upper atmosphere at night; nightgown (a) Hist. a dressing-gown; a kind of gown worn by women in the 18th cent., orig. as an evening dress; (b) = nightdress above; nightgowned adjective wearing a nightgown; night-hag (now rare) a hag or female demon supposed to ride in the air at night; the nightmare; nighthawk (a) a nightjar; now spec. one of the American genus Chordeiles or related genera; (b) fig. a predatory person active at night; a nocturnal prowler; a person who stays up late or who goes out or works at night; night-herd noun & verb (N. Amer.) (a) noun the herding or guarding of cattle at night; (b) verb intrans. & trans. herd or guard (cattle) at night; night-herder N. Amer. a person who night-herds; night-herding the work of a night-herder; night heron a heron of the genus Nycticorax or the genus Gorsachius, esp. the black-crowned N. nycticorax and (US) the yellow-crowned N. violaceus (see also nankeen night heron s.v. NANKEEN adjective); night horse a horse used for work at night; night-house Hist. a tavern, public house, etc., remaining open all night; night jasmine: see JASMINE 1; night journey (in Muslim tradition) the miraculous journey in which, in the space of a single night, the prophet Muhammad was transported to Jerusalem, ascended to heaven, and was returned to Mecca; night-lamp a lamp kept burning during the night, esp. in a bedroom; night lark a person who habitually goes about or out at night; night-latch: see LATCH noun1 1; night letter (telegram) Hist. a cheap-rate overseas telegram delivered overnight; night-life manifestations of life at night; spec. the activities of pleasure-seekers at night, urban entertainments open at night; night-light (a) faint light perceptible during the night; (b) a light which burns or shines during the night; spec. an electric bulb, small thick candle, etc., giving a dim light during the night for a child, invalid, etc.; night-line (a) a line with baited hooks set to catch fish at night; (b) a telephone line on which a person may call for help, advice, etc., at night; night lizard a small nocturnal lizard of the family Xantusiidae, having large scales or bony plates on the head, occurring from the south-western US to Central America; night-long adjective & adverb (lasting or having lasted) for the whole night; nightman (a) a man employed during the night to empty cesspools etc. and to remove night-soil; (b) (usu. night man) a man who works during the night or on a night-shift; night monkey a nocturnal monkey of the genus Aotus, of tropical Central and S. America, with a greyish back, orange or whiteish underside, and black and white face markings, the male of which has a hooting cry; also called owl monkey, douroucouli; night-night interjection (colloq.) good-night; night nurse a nurse employed to attend to a patient or patients during the night; night-office Roman Catholic Church a part of the canonical office performed during the night hours; night-owl (a) a nocturnal owl; (b) colloq. a person who is active late at night; night paddock Austral. & NZ a field where stock, esp. dairy cows, are kept overnight; night parrot a nocturnal green and yellow ground parrot, Geopsittacus occidentalis, of the Australian interior; night-piece (a painting or picture representing) a scene or landscape at night; night-primrose = EVENING primrose; night-rail Hist. a woman's loose wrap, jacket, or dressing-gown worn after undressing or before dressing; night-raven (now poet.) a (real or mythical) nocturnal bird, sometimes identified as a night-owl, night heron, or nightjar; night rider a person who rides by night, esp. on horseback; spec. (US) a member of a mounted gang committing acts of violence, esp. to intimidate; night riding the activity of a night rider; night-robe (now chiefly US) a garment worn during the night; a nightdress; (now usu.) a dressing-gown; night safe a safe with an opening in the outer wall of a bank etc. for the deposit of money etc. at night or otherwise outside opening hours; nightscape = night-piece above; night-scene (a picture or dramatic representation of) a scene viewed or taking place at night; night-scented adjective giving off fragrance at night; night-scented stock, a small annual cruciferous plant, Matthiola longipetala subsp. bicornis, grown for its fragrant lilac flowers which open at night; night school a school providing evening instruction for those working during the day; the process of being educated at such a school; night scope a night-vision telescope, used esp. as the telescopic sight of a rifle; night-season arch. the night-time; night shift (a) a shift or garment worn in bed, esp. by women; (b) a shift of workers employed during the night; the time during which such a shift works; nightshirt a long shirt or loose garment worn in bed, esp. by boys or men; night-side (a) the dark or bad aspect of a person or thing; (b) the side of a planet that is facing away from the sun and is therefore in darkness; night sight (a) the faculty of seeing during the night or in the dark; (b) a rifle-sight designed for shooting at night; night-singer a bird that sings by night; spec. the sedge-warbler; night snake any of several nocturnal African snakes; night-soil excremental matter removed at night from cesspools etc.; night-spell (a) a spell used as a protection against harm at night; (b) a spell used to cause harm or trouble at night; nightspot colloq. a nightclub or similar place open at night; nightstand (chiefly N. Amer.) a small, low, bedside table, typically having drawers; night star = EVENING star; night starvation hunger at night; transf. lack of sexual gratification; nightstick (orig. US) a stick or truncheon carried by a police officer etc., esp. at night; night-stool a close-stool for use at night; night-stop verb intrans. stop for the night on a journey; night storage heater, night storage radiator an electric heater in which heat can be accumulated at night and released during the day; night-sweat profuse perspiration occurring during the night, symptomatic of certain diseases; night table = nightstand above; night telegraph letter Hist. a cheap-rate inland telegram delivered overnight; night-terrors feelings of terror experienced during the night, esp. by children, causing wakening from sleep (cf. PAVOR 2); night-tide (a) arch. the time of night, night-time; (b) a tide of the sea occurring during the night; night-time noun & adjective (a) noun the time between evening and morning; the time of night or darkness; (b) adjective of or pertaining to this time; night-times adverb (chiefly dial.) at night, during the night; night vision (a) a vision or dream during the night; (b) the faculty of seeing during the night or in the dark; ability to see only during the night or in the dark; (c) attrib. (night-vision) denoting goggles or other devices enabling the user to see objects in the dark; night-walk verb trans. walk or travel across (a place) at night; night-walker (a) (now rare) a person who walks about at night, esp. with criminal intentions; a bully, a thief; a streetwalker, a prostitute; (b) an animal that moves about at night; night-walking noun (a) walking or going about at night; (b) sleepwalking; night-walking ppl adjective that walks or goes about at night; night-wanderer a person who or thing which wanders at night; a person travelling at night; night-wandering ppl adjective that wanders at night; night-watch (a) a watch or guard kept during the night; the time during which such a watch is kept; (b) a person or group of people engaged in keeping watch during the night; (c) each of the (three or four) watches into which the night was divided by the Jews and Romans; any similar period or division of the night; in the night-watches, during the wakeful and anxious or wearisome night; night-watcher a person who keeps watch during the night; night-watching keeping watch during the night; night-watchman (a) a person employed to keep watch at night; (b) Cricket an inferior batsman sent in to bat when a wicket falls just before the end of a day's play, to avoid the dismissal of a better one in adverse conditions; night-water water which collects or is stored during the night; night-wind a wind that blows during the night; night-work work done, or which must be done, during the night; night-worker a person who works during the night.
nightless adjective E17.
nightward adjective coming, taking place, etc., towards nightfall; leading towards night: M17.
nightwards adverb (rare) towards night, westwards M19.