Night, n.

(nīt), n. [A-S. neáht, niht, O. Sax. & O. H. Ger. naht, O. Fries., D., & N. H. Ger. nacht, Goth. nahts, Icel. nótt, for nátt, Sw. natt, Dan. nat, allied to Lat. nox, noctis, Gr. νύξ, νυκτός, Skr. nakta, Lith. naktis, O. Slav. noshti, Russ. notsh', Ir. nochd, W. nos.]

1Sense 1. That part of the natural day when the sun is beneath the horizon, or the time from sunset to sunrise.

God has set Labor and rest, as day and night, to men, Successive. Milton.

2Sense 2. Hence, in figurative uses, (a.) Darkness; obscurity.

Nature and nature's works lay hid in night. Pope.

(b.) Intellectual and moral darkness; ignorance. (c.) A state of affliction or distress; adversity; as, a dreary night of sorrow. (d.) The time after the close of life; death. “She closed her eyes in everlasting night.” Dryden. (e.) The time of the absence of life from nature; a lifeless or unenlivened period.

Calling forth out of sad winter's night Fresh love. Spenser.

☞ Night is used in the composition of many words of very obvious signification, denoting that which pertains to night, or that which takes place, appears, moves, goes, is formed, or is used, in the night, &c.; as, night-angling, night-bird, night-blooming, night-born, night-brawl, night-brawler, night-breeze, night-clothes, night-coach, night-dew, night-dress, night-fly, night-foundered, night-guard, night-key, night-lamp, night-mail, night-march, night-mask, night-patrol, night-porter, night-rest, night-robber, night-season, night-shining, night-shriek, night-sitting, night-stead, night-struck, night-sweat, night-taper, night-thought, night-time, night-train, night-vision, night-waking, night-wanderer, night-wandering, night-warbling, night-work, and the like.

In the night, suddenly; unexpectedly.—To-night, in this night; as, to-night the moon will be eclipsed.