Night

Pronunciation

• enPR: nÄ«t, IPA: /naɪt/
• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophones: knight

Alternative forms

• nite informal

Origin

From Middle English night, nyght, niȝt, naht, from Old English niht, neht, nyht, neaht, næht ("night"), from Proto-Germanic *nahts ("night"), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ("night"). Cognate with Scots nicht, neicht ("night"), West Frisian nacht ("night"), Dutch nacht ("night"), Low German Nacht ("night"), German Nacht ("night"), Danish nat ("night"), Swedish natt ("night"), Icelandic nótt ("night"), Latin nox ("night"), Greek νύχτα (núchta, "night").

Full definition of night

Noun

1. (countable) The period between sunset and sunrise, when a location faces far away from the sun, thus when the sky is dark.
• 2013-07-19, Ian Sample, Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains, Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
2. How do you sleep at night when you attack your kids like that!?
3. (countable) An evening or night spent at a particular activity.
• 2013-06-08, The new masters and commanders, From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
4. a night on the town
5. (countable) A night (and part of the days before and after it) spent in a hotel or other accommodation.
   We stayed at the Hilton for five nights.
6. (uncountable) Nightfall.
   from noon till night
7. (uncountable) Darkness.
   The cat disappeared into the night.
8. (uncountable) A dark blue colour, midnight blue.

Synonyms

• (evening or night spent at a particular activity) evening
• (quality of sleep) sleep
• (nightfall) dark, dusk, nightfall, sundown, sunset, twilight
• (darkness) blackness, darkness, gloom, obscurity, shadow

Antonyms

• (period between sunset and sunrise) day
• (darkness) brightness, daylight, light

Derived terms

Interjection

1. Short for good nightNight all! Thanks for a great evening!

Verb

1. To spend a night (in a place), to overnight.
• 2008, Richard F. Burton, Arabian Nights, in 16 volumes, page 284:"So I took seat and ate somewhat of my vivers, my horse also feeding upon his fodder, and we nighted in that spot and next morning I set out ..."

Anagrams

• thing, Thing