Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

nocturnal

/nɒkˈtɜː.nəl/ adjective

Latin root: nocturnālis Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nocturnal at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Of a person, creature, group, or species, primarily active during the night.
nocturnal birds
Of an occurrence, taking place at night, nightly.
a suspicious nocturnal outing

noun

A person or creature that is active at night.
A device for telling the time at night, rather like a sundial but read according to the stars.

Origin

From Middle French nocturnal, from Latin nocturnālis (“nocturnal”), from Latin nocturnus (“nocturnal”), from Latin nox (“night”), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night”). Cognates include Ancient Greek νύξ (núx), Sanskrit नक्ति (nákti), Old English niht (English night) and Proto-Slavic *noťь.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word