Meanings
- uncountableWork which is carried out at night.First known use 16th c.
Much of that highway reconstruction project was nightwork.
2 more examples
I don't know why it is the hours fly with such a strange celerity in the monotony and solitude of such nightwork.
1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard‘Under journalist cover we bring her into play, give her Chinese newspapers to translate, send her on little errands, involve her, complete her education and train her in nightwork.’
1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 183
Origin
From night + work. Compare Dutch nachtwerk, German Nachtwerk.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch nachtwerk
- nachtwerkwork carried out at night
Estonian öötöö
- öötööwork carried out at night
Finnish yötyö
- yötyöwork carried out at night
French travail de nuit
- travail de nuitwork carried out at night
German Nachtarbeit
- Nachtarbeitwork carried out at night
Norwegian Bokmål nattarbeid
- nattarbeidwork carried out at night
Polish nocna praca
- nocna pracawork carried out at night
Swedish nattarbete
- nattarbetework carried out at night
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
nightwork. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nightwork
“nightwork.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nightwork. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nightwork,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nightwork.
Source: nightwork on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.