night

plural nights · alternative nite · alternative Yorkshire archaic neet

1. countableThe time when the Sun is below the horizon when the sky is dark.

   Most animals are awake at day and sleep at night.

   3 more examples

   The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.

   1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 01

   The night is the time of stealthy prowling, of lightning attack, of fear, of death.

   1911, Charles Livingston Bull, Under the Roof of the Jungle: A Book of Animal Life in the Guiana Wilds, L.C. Page & Company, page 4

   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.

   2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34

2. countableastronomyThe period of darkness beginning at the end of evening astronomical twilight when the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon, and ending at the beginning of morning astronomical twilight.
3. countablelawA period of time often defined in the legal system as beginning 30 minutes after sunset, and ending 30 minutes before sunrise.
4. countableAn evening or night spent at a particular activity.

   a night on the town

   1 more example

   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.

   2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52

   Synonyms: evening

5. countableA day, or at least a night.

   I stayed my friend's house for three nights.

6. uncountableNightfall.

   from noon till night

   Synonyms: dark

7. uncountableDarkness (due to it being nighttime).

   The cat disappeared into the night.

   Synonyms: blackness, darkness, gloom, obscurity, shadow

8. uncountableA dark blue colour, midnight blue.
9. colloquialcountableuncountablehobbiesA night's worth of competitions, generally one game.

alternative nite · alternative Yorkshire archaic neet

1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of good night.

   Night, y'all! Thanks for a great evening!

present singular third person nights · participle present nighting · participle past nighted · past nighted · alternative nite · alternative Yorkshire archaic neet

1. intransitiveTo spend a night (in a place), to overnight.

   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[.]

   1885, Richard F. Burton, Arabian Nights, in 16 volumes, published 2008, page 284

1. The 92nd sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
2. GermaniclifestyleThe goddess of the night in Heathenry.

   Hail to Night and her daughters.

   1993, Teutonic Religion, Kveldulf Gundarsson, Llewellyn Publications, page 316

   2 more examples

   "In this prayer, Sigdrifa calls upon powers of Nature - Day, Night, Earth - and the gods and goddesses as a group.

   1993, Our Troth, Ring of Troth and other True Folk, Ring of Troth, page 383

   In another story, the Allfather, the original sky god from early Wyrd culture, took Night and her son Day, and gave to each of them a horse and chariot and put them in the sky, so that they should ride around the world every twenty-four hours.

   1996, The Wisdom of the Wyrd, Brian Bates, Rider, page 48