Night

Night, nīt, n. the end of the day: the time from sunset to sunrise: darkness: ignorance, affliction, or sorrow: death.—ns. Night′-bell, a bell for use at night—of a physician, &c.; Night′-bird, a bird that flies only at night, esp. the owl: the nightingale, as singing at night; Night′-blind′ness, inability to see in a dim light, nyctalopia; Night′-brawl′er, one who raises disturbances in the night; Night′cap, a cap worn at night in bed (so Night′dress, -shirt, &c.): a dram taken before going to bed: a cap drawn over the face before hanging; Night′-cart, a cart used to remove the contents of privies before daylight; Night′-chair, a night-stool; Night′-churr, or -jar, the British species of goat-sucker, so called from the sound of its cry.—n.pl. Night′-clothes, garments worn in bed.—ns. Night′-crow, a bird that cries in the night; Night′-dog (Shak.), a dog that hunts in the night.—adj. Night′ed, benighted: (Shak.) darkened, clouded.—ns. Night′fall, the fall or beginning of the night: the close of the day: evening; Night′faring, travelling by night; Night′fire, a fire burning in the night: a will-o'-the-wisp; Night′-fish′ery, a mode of fishing by night, or a place where this is done; Night′-fly, a moth that flies at night; Night′-foe, one who makes his attack by night; Night′-foss′icker, one who robs a digging by night.—adj. Night′-foun′dered, lost in the night.—ns. Night′-fowl, a night-bird; Night′-glass, a spy-glass with concentrating lenses for use at night; Night′-gown, a long loose robe for sleeping in, for men or women; a loose gown for wearing in the house; Night′-hag, a witch supposed to be abroad at night; Night′-hawk, a species of migratory goat-sucker, common in America; Night′-her′on, a heron of nocturnal habit; Night′-house, a tavern allowed to be open during the night; Night′-hunt′er, a degraded woman who prowls about the streets at night for her prey; Night′-lamp, or -light, a light left burning all night.—adj. Night′less, having no night.—n. Night′-line, a fishing-line set overnight.—adj. and adv. Night′long, lasting all night.—adj. Night′ly, done by night: done every night.—adv. by night: every night.—ns. Night′-man, a night-watchman or scavenger; Night′-owl, an owl of exclusively nocturnal habits: one who sits up very late; Night′-pal′sy, a numbness of the lower limbs, incidental to women; Night′piece, a picture or literary description of a night-scene: a painting to be seen best by artificial light; Night′-por′ter, a porter in attendance during the night at hotels, railway stations, &c.; Night′-rail, a night-gown: a 17th-century form of head-dress; Night′-rav′en (Shak.), a bird that cries at night, supposed to be of ill-omen; Night′-rest, the repose of the night; Night′-rule (Shak.), a frolic at night.—adv. Nights (obs.), by night.—ns. Night′-school, a school held at night, esp. for those at work during the day; Night′-sea′son, the time of night; Night′shade, a name of several plants of the genus Solanum, having narcotic properties, often found in damp shady woods; Night′-shriek, a cry in the night; Night′-side, the dark, mysterious, or gloomy side of anything; Night′-sing′er, any bird like the nightingale, esp. the Irish sedge-warbler; Night′-soil, the contents of privies, cesspools, &c., generally carried away at night; Night′-spell, a charm against accidents by night; Night′-steed, one of the horses in the chariot of Night; Night′-stool, a close-stool for use in a bedroom; Night′-tā′per, a night-light burning slowly.—n.pl. Night′-terr′ors, the sudden starting from sleep of children in a state of fright.—p.adj. Night′-trip′ping (Shak.), tripping about in the night.—ns. Night′-wak′ing, watching in the night; Night′-walk, a walk in the night; Night′-walk′er, one who walks in his sleep at night, a somnambulist: one who walks about at night for bad purposes, esp. a prostitute; Night′-walk′ing, walking in one's sleep, somnambulism: roving about at night with evil designs; Night′-wan′derer, one who wanders by night.—adjs. Night′-war′bling, singing in the night; Night′ward, toward night.—ns. Night′-watch, a watch or guard at night: time of watch in the night; Night′-watch′man, one who acts as a watch during the night; Night′-work, work done at night. [A.S. niht; Ger. nacht, L. nox.]