Did you mean: night, Night (by Elie Wiesel), Night (Rock Band), Candice Night, Night (sketch), The Night, Night (band), Night (album), Night (Blake), night (Star Trek: Voyager)

Dictionary:

night

(nīt)

1. The period between sunset and sunrise, especially the hours of darkness.
2. This period considered as a unit of time: for two nights running.
3. This period considered from its conditions: a rainy night.
The period between dusk and midnight of a given day: either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
1. The period between evening and bedtime.
2. This period considered from its activities: a night at the opera.
3. This period set aside for a specific purpose: Parents' Night at school.
1. The period between bedtime and morning: spent the night at a motel.
2. One's sleep during this period: had a restless night.
Nightfall: worked from morning to night.
Darkness: vanished into the night.
1. A time or condition of gloom, obscurity, ignorance, or despair: “In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning” (F. Scott Fitzgerald).
2. A time or condition marked by absence of moral or ethical values: “He never would have let us go untroubled into the night of private greed” (Anthony Lewis).

adj.

Of or relating to the night: the night air.
Intended for use at night: a night light.
Working during the night: the night nurse.
Active chiefly at night: night prowlers.
Occurring after dark: night baseball.

[Middle English, from Old English niht.]

Search unanswered questions...

Browse: Unanswered questions | Most-recent questions | Reference library

Search our library...

Thesaurus: night

noun

See

adjective

See

Idioms: night

Idioms beginning with night:
night and day

See also black as night; call it a day (night); dead of (night); different as night and day; good night; make a day (night) of it; ships that pass in the night.

Antonyms: night

Definition: latter part of day that is dark
Antonyms: day

Word Tutor: night

IN BRIEF: Opposite of day.

Ignorance is the night of the mind, a night without moon or star. — Confucius (c. 551-c. 479 BC), Chinese philosopher, founder of Confucianism.

Quotes About: Night

Quotes:

"The night is a skin pulled over the head of day that the day may be in torment." - Djuna Barnes

"I cannot walk through the suburbs in the solitude of the night without thinking that the night pleases us because it suppresses idle details, just as our memory does." - Jorge Luis Borges

"Shadow owes its birth to light." - John Gay

"Night is the mother of counsels." - George Herbert

"Night's deepest gloom is but a calm; that soothes the weary mind: The labored days restoring balm; the comfort of mankind." - Leigh Hunt

"Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o clock is a scoundrel." - Samuel Johnson

See more famous quotes about Night

Wikipedia: night

This article is about the time of day. For other uses, see Night (disambiguation).

A full moon lights up the surface of a lake at night.

Night or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. The opposite of night is day (or "daytime" to distinguish it from "day" as used for a 24-hour period). Time of day varies based on factors such as season, latitude, longitude and timezone.

Duration and geography

A composite image showing the terminator dividing night from day, running across Europe and Africa. Observers on the surface of the earth along this terminator will see a sunset.

Nights are shorter than days on average due to two factors. One, the sun is not a point, but has an apparent size of about 32 minutes of arc. Two, the atmosphere refracts sunlight so that some of it reaches the ground when the sun is below the horizon by about 34 minutes of arc. The combination of these two factors means that light reaches the ground when the centre of the sun is below the horizon by about 50 minutes of arc. Without these effects, day and night would be the same length at the autumnal (autumn/fall) and vernal (spring) equinoxes, the moments when the sun passes over the equator. In reality, around the equinoxes the day is almost 14 minutes longer than the night at the equator, and even more closer to the poles. The summer and winter solstices mark the shortest night and the longest night, respectively.

The closer a location is to the North or South Pole, the larger the range of variation in the night's length. Although equinoxes occur with a day and night close to equal length, before and after an equinox the ratio of night to day changes more rapidly in locations near the poles than in locations between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Northern Hemisphere, Denmark has shorter nights in June than India has. In the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctica has longer nights in June than Chile has. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the world experience the same patterns of night length at the same latitudes, but the cycles are 6 months apart so that one hemisphere experiences long nights (winter) while the other is experiencing short nights (summer).

Between the pole and the polar circle, the variation in daylight hours is so extreme that for a portion of the summer, there is no longer an intervening night between consecutive days and in the winter there is a period that there is no intervening day between consecutive nights.

On other celestial bodies

The phenomena of day and night is due to the rotation of a celestial body about its axis, creating the illusion of the sun rising and setting. Different bodies spin at very different rates, however. Some may spin much faster than Earth, while others spin extremely slowly, leading to very long days and nights. The planet Venus rotates once every 243 days – by far the slowest rotation period of any of the major planets. In contrast, the gas giant Jupiter's sidereal day is only 9 hours and 56 minutes.^[1] A planet may experience large temperature variations between day and night, such as Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. This is one consideration in terms of planetary habitability or the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Impact on life

Bats are just one of the thousands of species of animals that are active during the night

The disappearance of sunlight, the primary energy source for life on Earth, has dramatic impacts on the morphology, physiology and behavior of almost every organism. Some animals sleep during the night, while other nocturnal animals including moths and crickets are active during this time. The effects of day and night are not seen in the animal kingdom alone, plants have also evolved adaptations to cope best with the lack of sunlight during this time. For example, crassulacean acid metabolism in a unique type of carbon fixation which allows photosynthetic plants to store carbon dioxide in their tissues as organic acids during the night, which can then be used during the day to synthesize carbohydrates. This allows them to keep their stomata closed during the daytime, preventing transpiration of precious water.

Humans and the night

Social and economic factors

A busy street at nighttime

Throughout history, night has primarily been a time of resting and sleep for humans, since little work or labor can be done in the dark. On the other hand, clandestine activities such as romance, sex, prostitution, and criminal and police activity flourish.

In the pre-industrial era before the introduction of ambient light, people slept twice each night.^{[citation needed]} They called it the first and second sleep. Normally they would meditate about their first sleep in between. Edison sealed the last nail in the coffin when he invented the light bulb. Nowadays we sleep throughout the night as the ambient light recalibrates our sleep hormone production.

As artificial lighting has improved, especially after the Industrial Revolution, night-time activity has increased and become a significant part of the economy in most places. Many establishments, such as nightclubs, bars, convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, distribution facilities, and police stations now operate 24 hours a day or stay open as late as 1 or 2 a.m. Even without artificial light, moonlight sometimes makes it possible to travel or work outdoors at night.

Cultural aspects

Nótt, the Norse goddess of the night, rides her horse in this 19th century painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo.

Night is often associated with danger and evil, because bandits and dangerous animals can be concealed by darkness. The belief in magic often includes the idea that magic and magicians are more powerful at night. Similarly, mythical and folkloric creatures as vampires, and werewolves are thought to be more active at night. Ghosts are believed to wander around almost exclusively during night-time. In almost all cultures, there exist stories and legends warning of the dangers of night-time. In fact, the Saxons called the darkness of night the 'death mist'.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Seidelmann, P. K.; Abalakin, V. K.; Bursa, M.; Davies, M. E.; de Burgh, C.; Lieske, J. H.; Oberst, J.; Simon, J. L.; Standish, E. M.; Stooke, P.; Thomas, P. C. (2001). Report of the IAU/IAG Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites: 2000. HNSKY Planetarium Program. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.

nrm:Nyit zh-yue:夜晚

bat-smg:Naktė

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

Translations: Translations for: Night

Dansk (Danish)
n. - nat, aften
int. - godnat!
adj. - aftens-

idioms:

all night hele aftenen/natten
all night long hele aftenen/natten
day and night dag ud og dag ind
late night sent på aftenen/natten
night and day nat og dag
night club natklub
night light natlampe
night nurse natsygeplejerske
night owl natugle
night porter natportier
night school aftenskole
night shift nathold, natarbejde
night time nat, nattetid, om aftenen

Nederlands (Dutch)
nacht, avond, duisternis, nachtelijk, nacht-

Français (French)
n. - nuit, soir, soirée
int. - bonne nuit
adj. - nocturne, de nuit

idioms:

all night toute la nuit
all night long toute la nuit
day and night jour et nuit
late night tard la nuit
night and day nuit et jour
night club night-club, boîte de nuit
night light veilleuse
night nurse infirmier de nuit
night owl noctambule
night porter portier de nuit
night school cours du soir
night shift (travailler) de nuit, équipe de nuit
night time la nuit

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nacht, Abend
adj. - Nacht..., Abend..., nächtlich
int. - (ugs.) Gute Nacht!

idioms:

all night die ganze Nacht
all night long die ganze Nacht lang
day and night Tag und Nacht
late night spätes Zubettgehen
night and day Tag und Nacht
night club Nachtklub, Nachtlokal
night light Nachtlicht
night nurse Nachtschwester
night owl Nachteule, Nachtschwärmer
night porter Nachtportier
night school Abendschule
night shift Nachtschicht
night time Nacht

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - νύχτα, βραδιά, εσπέρα, βράδυ
adj. - νυχτερινός

idioms:

all night ολονυχτίς
all night long όλη τη νύχτα
at dead of night στα βάθη της νύχτας
day and night νυχθημερόν, μέρα-νύχτα
late night (για) αργά το βράδυ
night and day νυχθημερόν, νύχτα-μέρα
night club νυκτερινό κέντρο (διασκέδασης), νάιτ κλαμπ
night light βεγιέζα
night nurse νυχτερινή (αποκλειστική) νοσοκόμα
night owl ξενύχτης
night porter νυχτοφύλακας
night school νυκτερινό σχολείο
night shift νυκτερινή βάρδια
night time σκοτάδι, νύκτα, διάρκεια νύχτας

Italiano (Italian)
notte, notturno

idioms:

day and night giorno e notte
late night ore piccole
night and day notte e giorno
night club notturno
night light illuminazione notturna
night nurse infermiera notturna
night owl nottambulo
night porter portiere notturno
night school scuola serale
night shift turno di notte
night time notte

Português (Portuguese)
n. - noite (f), escuridão (f), ignorância (f), velhice (f)
adj. - noturno

idioms:

all night (long) durante toda a noite
day and night durante o dia e à noite
late night tarde da noite
night and day incessantemente
night club boate, discoteca
night light luz noturna
night nurse enfermeira noturna
night owl noctívago
night porter carregador noturno
night school escola noturna
night shift turno da noite
night time horário noturno

Русский (Russian)
вечер, ночь, вечерний, ночной

idioms:

all night (long) всю ночь
day and night днем и ночью
late night поздний вечер
night and day днем и ночью
night club ночной клуб
night light ночник
night nurse ночная сиделка
night owl сова (о человеке)
night porter ночной портье
night school вечерняя школа
night shift ночная смена
night time ночь, ночной

Español (Spanish)
n. - noche, anochecer, oscuridad
int. - buenas noches!
adj. - nocturno, de noche

idioms:

all night toda la noche
all night long toda la noche, durante toda la noche
day and night día y noche, sin cesar, siempre
late night acostarse tarde
night and day noche y día, sin cesar, siempre
night club club nocturno, sala de fiestas
night light lamparilla, velador
night nurse enfermera de noche
night owl chotacabras, pájaro nocturno, trasnochador
night porter portero de noche
night school escuela nocturna
night shift turno de noche
night time noche

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - natt, kväll
adj. - kvälls-, nattlig

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
夜, 黑暗, 夜晚, 晚安, 夜晚的, 夜间的, 夜晚活动的, 夜晚使用的, 夜间工作的

idioms:

all night 整夜
all night long 整夜
day and night 日日夜夜
late night 深夜
night and day 夜以继日
night club 夜总会
night light 夜间照明灯
night nurse 夜班护士
night owl 猫头鹰, 深夜不睡的人, 熬夜的人
night porter 夜间门房, 夜间服务生
night school 夜间学校, 夜校
night shift 夜班, 夜班工人
night time 夜间

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 夜, 黑暗, 夜晚
int. - 晚安
adj. - 夜晚的, 夜間的, 夜晚活動的, 夜晚使用的, 夜間工作的

idioms:

all night 整夜
all night long 整夜
day and night 日日夜夜
late night 深夜
night and day 夜以繼日
night club 夜總會
night light 夜間照明燈
night nurse 夜班護士
night owl 貓頭鷹, 深夜不睡的人, 熬夜的人
night porter 夜間門房, 夜間服務生
night school 夜間學校, 夜校
night shift 夜班, 夜班工人
night time 夜間

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 밤, 어둠, 죽음, 노령
int. - 밤이다!
adj. - 밤의, 야행성의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 夜, 夜間の, 暗やみ, 闇

idioms:

all night (long) 一晩中
night and day 日夜
night club ナイトクラブ
night light 終夜灯
night nurse 夜間勤務看護婦
night owl 夜ふかしをする人, ヨタカの類の鳥
night porter 夜間のボーイ
night school 夜学校
night shift 夜勤, 夜勤者
night time 夜

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الليل (صفه) ليلي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חשיכה, לילה‬
int. - ‮ברכת "לילה טוב"‬
adj. - ‮של לילה, שקרה בלילה‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.

Best of the Web: Night

Some good "night" pages on the web:

American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu

Shopping: Night

night	Focus Night
Night Stands	Starry Night

Did you mean: night, Night (by Elie Wiesel), Night (Rock Band), Candice Night, Night (sketch), The Night, Night (band), Night (album), Night (Blake), night (Star Trek: Voyager)

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "Night" at WikiAnswers.

Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more
		Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more
		Quotes About. Copyright © 2005 QuotationsBook.com. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Night". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more