3991 night-hawk 
night-feeder (nit'l'e iler). . An ;mimal that 
feeds mostly or entirely liy night : specitiealK 
applied to the bird .\i/rtii>riux innii-in-i. M-t 
fishes are said to In- ni^ht-ii .l.-rs, yet all of 
them feed more or less in the daytime. 
dlaijasrnlne, i-ti-. *! MM, e"t. Noon of night. See W.' '.'" , v '""7","~" r ""a~_ry_"l"~ili.j _j . night-fire (nit'fir), n. 1. Fire burning in the 
m"'/f ' . 
niehtt (nit), r. i. [< ME. nighten, nyghten (= - 
Icel. natta, become night, pass the night); < th ' lt work at nl ht - 
H//R .] To grow dark; approach toward Have turn'd all air toearthin me; they sit 
night . Upon my heart, like night-charm*, black and heavy. 
Into tyme that It gan to nyghte. Beau, and Fl, Thierry and Theodoret, ill 2. night-fish (mt'ttsh), n. A. vanety of the cod 
They spaken of cryseyde, the lady hntU* night-churr (nit'cher), n. Same as night-jar. with a dark back, taken on some of the New- 
' night-clothes <mt'kl6TH Z ),n.^. Garments de- 
A book-name 01 the . __ j trt >. ,- ;., K,I 
_ , ., . . sij^iH'u 10 DO worn in ucu. 
night 
Yet hath my night of life some memorjr, If you 
My wanting lamp- MOM failing glimmer left Hear the common people curse you, 
Shak t'. of E., v. 1. 314. Be sure you are taken for one of the prime nvjht cap*. 
Bird Of night, the owl.- ClOUd Of night. See .tarfl 
i (c). Fourteenth nightt. Si-e /.<iir/.-.-f/i. Good night-cart (nU'kiirt). n. A. cart used to re- 
night. Sec : i,aiii ilay. nmirr gnnd. -Night Jdue, cod, move the contents of privies by night. 
bar), n. Same as night-stool. 
, n. A charm or spell 
Foolish night-fret, women's and children's wishes, 
Chases In arras, glided cmptlneaae ; . . . 
These are the pleasures here. 
Uerbert, Dotage. (Latham. > 
night-ape (nit'ap), n. 
foundland banks, as well as on the east coast 
,_._,. ,,- - f ,, BHjneu w wurll m uw . of Prince Edward's Island. They are of large 
South American monkeys of the genus Ayofy-i- n ight-cloud (nit'kloud), n. The form of cloud size, and will, it is said, take the hook at night 
"" ''"" called stratus, which frequently ascends from only. 
the ground after sunset, continues during the night-fishery (nit'nsh'er-i), n. A mode of fish- 
night, and disappears with the rise of the morn- mg by night, or a place where nsnmg is done by 
ing sun. W. C. Lei/, Modern Metrology, p. 128. night. _ Night-fishery Is practised to some extent J>y an 
[< ME. nyght 
A ghost. Halliicelt. 
night-hat (nit'bat), n. 
[North. Eng.] 
night-bell (nit'bel), n. A bell for use at night, ouu- _ _ _ 
as in rousing a physician or an apothecary. n iVr onmpr fnit'kum* 
night-bird (nit'Urd), n. 1 A bird that flies **g5SZf< n$t + co 
by night; especially, an owl; m the following ; _ 1 _j_u* ". ....;. .11, 
quotation, the night-heron. 
There be a sort of birds . . . that fly or move oidy In the 
night, called from thence night-bird* and night-ravens, 
winch are afraid of light, as ... an enemy to spy, to as- 
sault, or betray them. Uammond, Works, III. 567. 
2. A bird that sings by night; specifically, the 
nightingale. 
Or when to the lute 
She sung, and made the night-bird mute, 
That still records with moan. 
Shak., Pericles, Iv., Prol, 1. 26. 
3. The Manx shearwater, Puffinua anglorum. 
[Skellig Islands.] 4. The gallinule of Europe, 
(lallinula chloropus. [Prov. Eng.] 5. One 
who stays out late at night, or works chiefly 
by night. [Colloq.] 
night-blindness (mt'olind'nes), n. Inability 
to see in a dim light; nyctalopia. Also called 
See nyctalopia 
glers. The best months for It are the latter part of June, 
and July and August, and the best nights are those that 
follow a hot day. 
A bird that flies in 
er). " 
comer.] One who comes _^_ 
in the night, especially with evil intent, as a night-flier (nit'fli'er), n. 
robber. the night. 
Thel . . . culled hym on croys-wyse at Caluaryc, on a night-flower (nit 'flou'cr) 
Fryday, 
And sutthen burlede husbody and beden that men sholde 
Kepen hit fro nyght-commcra with knyghtes y-armed. 
Piert Plmcman ((">, Mil. 144. 
night-craket, . [ME. night-crake; < night + 
crake.] Same as night-crow. 
night-CTOW (uit'kro), n. [< ME. nightcraice, 
nyghtecrawe; < night + crow 2 .] 1. Same as 
night-raven. 
The niyhte crowe hyghte NlctlcoraT, and hath that name 
for he loulth the nyghte, and fleeth and seketh hys nieete 
by nyghte. Quoted in Cath. Aug., p. 255. 
The owl shriek'd at thy birth an evil sign ; 
The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time. 
SAo*.,SHeu. VI., v. 6. 45. , . 
Notwithstanding all the dangers I laid afore you, in night-fossicking (nit'fos'i-king), . 
the voice of a night-crow. B. Jonton, Epicwne, 111. 2. 
M. The night-jas- 
mine, Xyctanthes Arbor-tristis. 
night-fly (nit'fli), n. An insect that flies in the 
night. 
Rather, sleep, llest thou In smoky cribs, 
Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee. 
And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, 
Than In the perfumed chambers of the great. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., Hi. 1. 11. 
night-foe (nit'fo), n. One who attacks by night. 
Wherefore else guard we his royal tent, 
But to defend his person from ntght-foett 
Shak., 3 Hen. VI., iv. 3. 22. 
night-fossicker (nit'fos'i-ker), n. In gold-dig- 
ging, one who robs a digging by night. 
In gold- 
ntto^min;im^;r ra Xoming ***&* _. -?^ ck ^ .* jS.3fift& 
Eng.] 
See cut under goatsucker. 
or blossoming in the night Night-blooming cac- 
tus cereus. See cactus and Ceretu. Night-blooming - j* --_ 
Jasmine, a cultivated flower from the West Indies, Ces- night-dew (nit du), n. The dew formed in the 
(rum iMxxurnum, extremely fragrant at night. night. 
night-bolt (nit'bolt), . 1. A bolt or bar used xn e n tt i e birds Indreams their songs repeat, 
to fasten a door at night. 
See that your pollsh'd arms be primed with care ; 
And drop the night-bolt ; rutttans are abroad. 
digging, the practice of robbing diggings by 
Lost or 
night-doctor (nit'dok'tor), n. A surgeon or his 
Covper, Task, Iv. 568. a g e nt imagined as prowling the streets or roads 
2. A spring-bolt in a lock which can be opened at night to catch live subjects to kill for dissec- 
by a knob from inside the door, but only by a tion: a bugbear of negroes. [Southern U. 8.] 
key from the outside. night-dog (nit'dog), n. A dog that hunts in the 
night-born (nit'boru), a. 
produced iu darkness. 
[Prov. night-foundered (nit'foun'derd), . 
distressed in the night. 
Either some one like us night-founder 'd here, 
Or else some neighbour woodman, or, at worst, 
Some roving robber calling to his fellows. 
And "sleeping lowers beneath the iHght^v, sweat. 
Dryden, Indian Emperor, III. 2. nightfowlt (nit'foul), n. [ME. mhtfuel (= Icel. 
ndttfugl); < night + fold.] A night-bird. 
Born in the night ; night, especially one used by poachers. 
And in his mercy did his power oppose, 
'Uainst Errours night-born children. 
Uir. for Mayi., p. 784. (Latham.) 
night-brawler (nit'bra'ler), n. One who ex- 
cites brawls or makes a tumult at night. 
What's the matter, 
That you unlace your reputation thus 
And spend your rich opinion for the name 
Of a night-brawler f Shak., Othello, II. 3. 196. 
When night-dogi run, all sorts of deer are chased. 
, . L.'?' .' ' V ' 
Let myht-doys tear me, 
And goblins ride me In my sleep to Jelly, 
Ere I forsake my sphere. 
Beau, and Fl., Thierry and Theodoret, I. 1. 
night-dress (nit'dres), n. 1. Night-clothes. 
2. A nightgown. 
The fair ones feel such maladies as these. 
When each new night-drtxi gives a new disease. 
Pope, R. of the L., Iv. 38. 
night-breeze (nit'brez), n. A breeze blowing nighted (ni'ted), a. [<night + -edS.] 1. Over- 
in the night. taken by night; belated. 
night-butterfly (nit'but'er-fli), M. A nocturnal 
lepidopterous insect; a moth. 
nightcap (nit'kap), n. [< ME. nightcappe; < 
night + cap 1 .] 1. A covering for the head in- 
tended to be worn in bed. In the time of the Tu- 
dora, and down to Queen Anne's reign, nightcaps, frequent- 
ly of very rich material and ornament, VMTC worn by men 
during the daytime after their wigs were taken 08. 
They say in Wales, when certain hills have their niiihi- 
capi on, they mean mischief. Bacon, Nat. Hist., 819. 
They put on a damp nightcap and relapse; 
They thought they must have died, they were so bad. 
Cowper, Conversation, 1. 322. 
She ties the strings of her night-cap in the folds of her 
double chin. W. M. Baker, Ji ew Timothy, p. 806. 
Handsomely worked caps called night caps, although 
only worn in the daytime; some kind of night cap haying night-eyed (nit'id), a. Having eyes suited for 
been an article of dress ever since the time of Elizabeth. 8ee i n g we ll at night ; sharp-eyed ; nyctalopic. 
Now to horse ; 
I shall be niyhtrd. 
Middleton (and othert), The Widow, it 2. 
2. Darkened; clouded; black. [Rare.] 
Edmund, I think, is gone. 
In pity of his misery, to dispatch 
His nighted life. Shale., Lear, Iv. 5. 13. 
nightertalef (ni'ter-tal), n. [< ME. nightertatc, 
nygtertale, after Icel. nattartal, night-time; as 
night + tale 1 .] Night-time. 
So hote he lovede that by nightfrtale 
He sleep no more than doth a nlghtyngale. 
Chaucer, Oen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 98. 
Upon the middle of the night 
Waking, she heard the night-fowl crow : 
The cock sung out an hour ere light. 
Tennyson, Mariana. 
n. An obsolete form of nightingale 1 . 
night~glass (uit'glas), n. A telescope (usually 
binocular) constructed so as to concentrate as 
much light as possible, and thus adapted for 
seeing objects at night. 
nightgown (nit'goun), M. [< night + gown.] 
If. A loose gown worn in one's chamber, at 
night or in the daytime; a dressing-gown; a 
robe de chambre; a negligee gown or house- 
dress, for either men or women. 
Get on your nightgown, lest occasion call us, 
And show us to be watchers. 
Shak., Macbeth, Ii. 2.70. 
The Lady, tho' willing to appear undrest, had put on her 
best Looks, and painted herself for our Reception. Her 
Hair appeared in a very nice Disorder, as the Xiaht Qmcn 
which was thrown upon her Shoulders was ruffled with 
great Care. Additon, Spectator, No. 45. 
Others come In their night-gown* to saunter away their 
time. Steele, Spectator, No. 49. 
2. A night-dress for women, high in the neck, 
with long sleeves, and covering the whole per- 
son. 3. A night-dress for men. [Colloq. or 
humorous.] 
night-hag (nit'hag), n. A witch supposed to 
wander or fly abroad in the night. 
Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when, call'd 
ID secret, riding through the air she comes. 
Hilton, V. L., il. 662. 
.'. Ashton, Social Life in Reign of Queen Anne, I. 160, 
2. A potation of spirit or wine taken before 
So it be thicke and poured in a ponne, 
The mons by nyghtertale on it wol fonne. 
Palladia, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.X p. S3. night-hawk (nit'hak), n. 1. A caprimulgine 
,:*'u\ ir, .;., ,.!, o, ,;.) f. bird of the genus Chordeiles. The common night- 
hawk of the Inited States Is C. popetue or C. rirginianut. 
also called bvllbat. and in the West Indies puk and pirami- 
dig. It flies chiefly toward evening and in cloudy w cat her, 
and belongs to the same family (Caprimulgidir) as the 
Our niftht-ryed Tiberius doth not see 
His minion's drifts. B. Joiaon, Sejanns, iv. 5. 
to bed. [Slang.] 3. A cap drawn over nightfall (nit'fal), n. [< night + fall. Cf. Icel. whlppoorwill and chuck-wlll's-widow, though It Is of a 
,;,,., IV- c..,.,, nil..,. l,o ia li'ni n.,1 ftrma_ -..,. a i mi.- *~n _r'_ -!.*'. AI__ _i ~* different treniiR. Tt ia fl or 10 inches lonir. 23 in extent of 
:i i-iimiual's face when he is hanged. Some- 
times lt<ir*/'-niii/itcap. [Slang.] 
He better deserves to RO up Holbowrn in a wooden char- 
iot, anil have :i /; -. , iM-cap put on at the farther end. 
f I'll Orfvnl Parliiiiiu-nt, lt!81 (Ilarl. Misc., II. 125). 
1 always wine on to that scene with ft white niyht-cap 
and :i iKiltrr on my arm. ... He |the hangmanl then night-faring (uit'far'ing), 
places the white cap over the man's head, and the noose 
about his nirk. 
Mayhcn; London Laltour and London 1'oor, III. 153. 
4f. A bully : a night-brawler. 
iHittj'ull, dew.] The fall of night; the close of 
the day ; evening. 
At nightfall ... In a darksome place 
t 'nde'r some mulberry trees I found 
A little pool. 
M. Arnold, The Sick King in Bokhara. 
Traveling in the 
ufght. 
Will a- Wisp misleads night-faring clowns 
O'er hills, and sinking bogs, and pathless downs. 
Gn 'i. Shepherd's Week, Saturday, 1. 57. 
different genus. It is 9 or 10 inches long, 23 in extent of 
wings, of a slim form, with very small bill but widely cleft 
and capacious month, long, sharp, thin-bladed wings, 
forked tail, and small weak feet ; the plumage is intimately 
blended with black, brown, gray, and tawny shades, some- 
thing like dark-veined marble, and the male has a pure 
white V-shaped mark on the throat, and large white 
blotches on the wings and tall, which are tawny in the fe- 
male. It abounds in temperate North America, and Is a 
bird of powerful flight, often seen careering in pursuit of 
in-.'. -ts. twisting and doubling with great ease and grace, 
and frequently falling through the air with a hoarse cry. 
It lays two eggs of elliptical form and dark variegated 
