WordofTheDay.US

overnight

/əʊvə(ɹ)ˈnaɪt/ adjective

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about overnight at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Lasting, open, or operating through the whole night.
    a nightlong vigil

adverb

  1. During or for the length of one night.
    the fish marinates overnight
  2. Happening in a short time or with great speed.
    these solutions cannot be found overnight!

Origin

Inherited from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht (“through the night, overnight”), equivalent to over + night. Verbal use (late 19th c.) may have been influenced by German übernachten (16th c.), though it could also have developed independently. Compare also Dutch overnachten (“to overnight”), Middle Low German ȫvernachten (“to overnight”), West Frisian oernachtsje (“to overnight”), Saterland Frisian uurnoachtje (“to overnight”).

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