predawn

P3R1E1D2A1W4N1

noun

The period immediately preceding dawn.

Opposite
preduskpostdawn
OriginEnglish dawn ← Middle English pre- ← Latin prae- →
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounpredawn (countable and uncountable, plural predawns)

plural predawns

  1. countableuncountableThe period immediately preceding dawn.

    Antonyms: predusk, postdawn

adjectivepredawn (not comparable)
  1. not comparableBefore dawn.

    It was still dark in the hollow, but above the trees the sky was turning milky with predawn light.

    2009, Erin Hunter [pseudonym; Erin Hunter Team], Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar's Prophecy, page 439
    2 more examples

    A thick layer of mist, gray and ghostly in the predawn glow, emanated from the water, as if witchfire burned upon the surface of the liquid.

    2008, Christopher Paolini, “Assault on Helgrind”, in Brisingr, page 38

    Sparks erupted from the bottom of a FedEx cargo jet as it made a predawn emergency landing Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, officials said.

    2020 August 19, Ray Sanchez, Cheri Mossburg, “FedEx cargo jet makes predawn emergency landing in Los Angeles”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Nov 2025

    Antonyms: postdawn

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe period immediately preceding dawn.

Opposite
preduskpostdawn

adjectiveBefore dawn.

Opposite
postdawn
Also see
postmidnight

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Middle Englishpre-
  8. Englishpre-
  9. Englishdawn
  10. Englishpredawn

From pre- + dawn.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch voor de dageraad
  • voor de dageraadperiod before the rising of the sun
French avant l'aurore
  • avant l'auroreperiod before the rising of the sun
Greek αξημέρωτος
  • αξημέρωτος (aximérotos)before dawn
Polish przedświt, przed świtem
  • przedświtperiod before the rising of the sun
  • przed świtembefore dawn
Spanish el período antes del amanecer
  • el período antes del amanecerperiod before the rising of the sun
Cite this entry
APA

predawn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predawn

MLA

“predawn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predawn. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “predawn,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predawn.

Source: predawn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.