Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

twilight

/ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/ noun

In Latin: crepusculum Wiktionary

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

The time of day immediately following sunset.
he loved the twilight
The diffused light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon but its rays are refracted by the atmosphere of the earth.
A condition of decline following successes.
in the twilight of the empire

adjective

Lighted by or as if by twilight.
The dusky night rides down the sky/And ushers in the morn

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, 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”). Compare Old English twēone lēoht (“twilight”).

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

Back to today's word