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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

night       (nīt)  Pronunciation Key  n.   The period between sunset and sunrise, especially the hours of darkness. This period considered as a unit of time: for two nights running. This period considered from its conditions: a rainy night. The period between evening and bedtime. This period considered from its activities: a night at the opera. This period set aside for a specific purpose: Parents' Night at school. The period between bedtime and morning: spent the night at a motel. One's sleep during this period: had a restless night. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning" (F. Scott Fitzgerald). A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: "He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed" (Anthony Lewis). The period between dusk and midnight of a given day: either late Thursday night or early Friday morning. The period between evening and bedtime. This period considered from its activities: a night at the opera. This period set aside for a specific purpose: Parents' Night at school. The period between bedtime and morning: spent the night at a motel. One's sleep during this period: had a restless night. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning" (F. Scott Fitzgerald). A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: "He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed" (Anthony Lewis). The period between bedtime and morning: spent the night at a motel. One's sleep during this period: had a restless night. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning" (F. Scott Fitzgerald). A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: "He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed" (Anthony Lewis). Nightfall: worked from morning to night. Darkness: vanished into the night. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning" (F. Scott Fitzgerald). A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: "He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed" (Anthony Lewis). adj.   Of or relating to the night: the night air. Intended for use at night: a night light. Working during the night: the night nurse. Active chiefly at night: night prowlers. Occurring after dark: night baseball. [Middle English, from Old English niht; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
night 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

night
noun
1.	the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside [ant: day]
2.	a period of ignorance or backwardness or gloom
3.	the period spent sleeping; "I had a restless night"
4.	the dark part of the diurnal cycle considered a time unit; "three nights later he collapsed"
5.	darkness; "it vanished into the night"
6.	a shortening of nightfall; "they worked from morning to night"
7.	the time between sunset and midnight; "he watched television every night"
8.	Roman goddess of night; daughter of Erebus; counterpart of Greek Nyx [syn: Nox]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

night

In addition to the idioms beginning with night, also see black as night; call it a day (night); dead of (night); different as night and day; good night; make a day (night) of it; ships that pass in the night.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Night

Night\, n. [OE. night, niht, AS. neaht, niht; akin to D. nacht, OS. & OHG. naht, G. nacht, Icel. n?tt, Sw. natt, Dan. nat, Goth. nachts, Lith. naktis, Russ. noche, W. nos, Ir. nochd, L. nox, noctis, gr. ?, ?, Skr. nakta, nakti. [root] 265. Cf. Equinox, Nocturnal.]

1. That part of the natural day when the sun is beneath the horizon, or the time from sunset to sunrise; esp., the time between dusk and dawn, when there is no light of the sun, but only moonlight, starlight, or artificial light.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. --Gen. i. 5.

2. Hence: (a) Darkness; obscurity; concealment.

Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night. --Pope. (b) Intellectual and moral darkness; ignorance. (c) A state of affliction; adversity; as, a dreary night of sorrow. (d) The period after the close of life; death.

She closed her eyes in everlasting night. --Dryden. (e) A lifeless or unenlivened period, as when nature seems to sleep. "Sad winter's night". --Spenser.

Note: Night is sometimes used, esp. with participles, in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, night-blooming, night-born, night-warbling, etc.

Night by night, Night after night, nightly; many nights.

So help me God, as I have watched the night, Ay, night by night, in studying good for England. --Shak.

Night bird. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The moor hen (Gallinula chloropus). (b) The Manx shearwater (Puffinus Anglorum).

Night blindness. (Med.) See Hemeralopia.

Night cart, a cart used to remove the contents of privies by night.

Night churr, (Zo["o]l.), the nightjar.

Night crow, a bird that cries in the night.

Night dog, a dog that hunts in the night, -- used by poachers.

Night fire. (a) Fire burning in the night. (b) Ignis fatuus; Will-o'-the-wisp; Jask-with-a-lantern.

Night flyer (Zo["o]l.), any creature that flies in the night, as some birds and insects.

night glass, a spyglass constructed to concentrate a large amount of light, so as see objects distinctly at night. --Totten.

Night green, iodine green.

Night hag, a witch supposed to wander in the night.

Night hawk (Zo["o]l.), an American bird (Chordeiles Virginianus), allied to the goatsucker. It hunts the insects on which it feeds toward evening, on the wing, and often, diving down perpendicularly, produces a loud whirring sound, like that of a spinning wheel. Also sometimes applied to the European goatsuckers. It is called also bull bat.

Night heron (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of herons of the genus Nycticorax, found in various parts of the world. The best known species is Nycticorax griseus, or N. nycticorax, of Europe, and the American variety (var. n[ae]vius). The yellow-crowned night heron (Nycticorax violaceus) inhabits the Southern States. Called also qua-bird, and squawk.

Night house, a public house, or inn, which is open at night.

Night key, a key for unfastening a night latch.

Night latch, a kind of latch for a door, which is operated from the outside by a key.

Night monkey (Zo["o]l.), an owl monkey.

night moth (Zo["o]l.), any one of the noctuids.

Night parrot (Zo["o]l.), the kakapo.

Night piece, a painting representing some night scene, as a moonlight effect, or the like.

Night rail, a loose robe, or garment, worn either as a nightgown, or over the dress at night, or in sickness. [Obs.]

Night raven (Zo["o]l.), a bird of ill omen that cries in the night; esp., the bittern.

Night rule. (a) A tumult, or frolic, in the night; -- as if a corruption, of night revel. [Obs.] (b) Such conduct as generally rules, or prevails, at night.

What night rule now about this haunted grove? --Shak.

Night sight. (Med.) See Nyctolopia.

Night snap, a night thief. [Cant] --Beau. & Fl.

Night soil, human excrement; -- so called because in cities it is collected by night and carried away for manure.

Night spell, a charm against accidents at night.

Night swallow (Zo["o]l.), the nightjar.

Night walk, a walk in the evening or night.

Night walker. (a) One who walks in his sleep; a somnambulist; a noctambulist. (b) One who roves about in the night for evil purposes; specifically, a prostitute who walks the streets.

Night walking. (a) Walking in one's sleep; somnambulism; noctambulism. (b) Walking the streets at night with evil designs.

Night warbler (Zo["o]l.), the sedge warbler (Acrocephalus phragmitis); -- called also night singer. [prov. Eng.]

Night watch. (a) A period in the night, as distinguished by the change of watch. (b) A watch, or guard, to aford protection in the night.

Night watcher, one who watches in the night; especially, one who watches with evil designs.

Night witch. Same as Night hag, above.