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Webster 1913 Edition

Twilight

Twi′lightˊ

,
Noun.
[OE.
twilight
, AS.
twi-
(see
Twice
) +
leóht
light; hence the sense of doubtful or half light; cf. LG.
twelecht
, G.
zwielicht
. See
Light
.]
1.
The light perceived before the rising, and after the setting, of the sun, or when the sun is less than 18° below the horizon, occasioned by the illumination of the earth’s atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their reflection on the earth.
2.
faint light; a dubious or uncertain medium through which anything is viewed.
As when the sun . . . from behind the moon,
In dim eclipse, disastrous
twilight
sheds.
Milton.
The
twilight
of probability.
Locke.

Twi′lightˊ

,
Adj.
1.
Seen or done by twilight.
Milton.
2.
Imperfectly illuminated; shaded; obscure.
O'er the
twilight
groves and dusky caves.
Pope.

Webster 1828 Edition

Twilight

TWI'LIGHT

, n.
1.
The faint light which is reflected upon the earth after sunset and before sunrise; crepuscular light. In latitudes remote from the equator, the twilight is of much longer duration than at and near the equator.
2.
Dubious or uncertain view; as the twilight or probability.

TWI'LIGHT

,
Adj.
Obscure; imperfectly illuminated; shaded.
O'er the twilight groves and dusky caves.
1.
Seen or done by twilight.

Definition 2024

twilight

twilight

English

Noun

twilight ‎(countable and uncountable, plural twilights)

  1. The soft light in the sky seen before the rising and (especially) after the setting of the sun, occasioned by the illumination of the earth’s atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their reflection on the earth.
    I could just make out her face in the twilight.‎
  2. The time when this light is visible; the period between daylight and darkness.
    It was twilight by the time I got back home.‎
    • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, chapter II:
      At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
  3. (astronomy) The time when the sun is less than 18° below the horizon.
  4. Any faint light through which something is seen; an in-between or fading condition.
    • John Locke (1632-1705)
      The twilight of probability.

Synonyms

Coordinate terms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

twilight ‎(not comparable)

  1. Pertaining to or resembling twilight.
    O’er the twilight groves and dusky caves. —Alexander Pope.

See also

Etymology

From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, from Old English twēonelēoht ‎(“twilight”), equivalent to twi- ‎(“double, half-”) +‎ light, literally ‘second light, half-light’. Cognate to Scots twa licht, twylicht, twielicht ‎(“twilight”), Low German twilecht, twelecht ‎(“twilight”), Dutch tweelicht ‎(“twilight, dusk”), German Zwielicht ‎(“twilight, dusk”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

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