nocturnaladj.n.

Brit.

/nɒkˈtəːnl/, U.S.

/nɑkˈtərn(ə)l/

Forms: late Middle English–1600s nocturnall, late Middle English– nocturnal, 1500s necternall (perhaps transmission error), 1500s nocturnalle, 1600s–1700s noctural.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin nocturnalis, nocturnale.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin nocturnalis of the night (5th cent.), liturgical book for night office (from 9th cent.; also nocturnale, neuter) < classical Latin nocturnus nocturn adj. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French nocturnel (12th–16th cent.), Old French, Middle French nocturnal (12th cent.; French nocturnal is apparently reborrowed at the end of the 18th cent.), Old Occitan nocturnal, Italian notturnale (1611 in Florio), Spanish nocturnal.The frequency with which the variant noctural occurs suggests that it is not a straightforward transmission error; it may show remodelling after natural adj. With nocturnal office (see quot. 1485 at sense A. 1) compare post-classical Latin nocturnale officium (8th cent.; from 10th cent. in British sources). With sense B. 5 compare French nocturnes , plural (1805 in Cuvier). In sense B. 1 after German Nocturnal (1535 in a work title); compare nocturlabe n.

A. adj.

1. Of or relating to the night; done, held, or occurring at night.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > night > [adjective]

nightlyeOE

nightyc1475

nocturnal1485

noxiala1500

nightish1530

nocturn?1530

nighterly1559

owlish1596

night-tripping1598

epinyctal1600

nighted?1606

nightern1615

noctual1632

nocturnous1727

overnight1870

nitely1970

1485 W. Caxton tr. Lyf St. Wenefryde 20 I shold haue begonne my nocturnal offyce.

a1500 Hymnal in R. S. Loomis Medieval Stud. in Memory G. S. Loomis (1927) 466 (MED) Owr voyce..En hansyng the with twnes musicall, Aftyr the dey be tymes nocturnall.

1537 tr. H. Latimer Serm. to Clergie sig. E The solempne and nocturnal bacchanals.

1599 A. M. tr. O. Gaebelkhover Bk. Physicke 4/2 When you intende to take your nocturnalle rest.

1637 J. Milton Comus 5 Haile Goddesse of Nocturnall sport Dark-vaild Cotytto.

a1691 R. Boyle Gen. Hist. Air (1692) 32 He observed the nocturnal air to be very damp.

1759 S. Johnson Idler 24 Mar. 89 In this dismal gloom of nocturnal peregrination.

1792 W. Cowper Let. 29 July (1984) IV. 160 I have told you something of my nocturnal experiences.

1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. ix. 349 The victim of a nocturnal sacrifice to the powers below.

1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 12 A nocturnal council is instituted for the preservation of the state.

1929 D. L. Moore Pandora's Let. Box iii. 53 ‘Night life’—to use the popular expression for habitual nocturnal dancing and drinking.

1987 D. Gersi Explorer viii. 163 The jungle's nocturnal symphony resounds in the cathedral of trees with an astonishing diversity of sounds.

a. Of an animal: active chiefly or exclusively at night.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > by habits or actions > [adjective] > active at night

nocturnal1599

vespertine1607

crepuscular1826

1599 A. Hume Hymnes sig. C3^v Bot euerie bais'd nocturnall beast, Na langer may abide.

1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxiv. 10 Some rifted den, Where flock nocturnal bats, and birds obscene.

1766 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. i. 51 The hedge hog is a nocturnal animal.

1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VIII. 38 This tribe of insects has therefore been divided into Diurnal and Nocturnal Flies.

1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxv. 639 In the Crepuscular and Nocturnal Lepidoptera this fold..is very slight.

1849 Sketches Nat. Hist.: Mammalia IV. 15 In their habits they are nocturnal.

1870 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. II. lxx. 464 The Nocturnal Birds of Prey, which..have the eyes directed forwards.

1929 Times 17 May 18 (caption) A pair of douroucolis, or nocturnal owl-faced monkeys,..recently acquired by the Zoo.

1974 W. Condry Woodlands vi. 71 The wood mouse..has the large, prominent eyes of a strictly nocturnal animal.

1993 Your Garden May 31/3 Vine weevils can cause a lot of damage. The adults are often found on windowsills, pots etc. early in the morning as they are nocturnal.

b. Of an eye: adapted for vision at night.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > types of vision > [adjective] > able to see at night

night-eyed1605

nocturnal1840

nyctalope1848

1840 E. Blyth et al. Cuvier's Animal Kingdom 62 The Dourocouli..only differ from the Sagouins by their great nocturnal eyes.

1853 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Dec. 626/2 The..insectivorous night-birds of North America..form a sort of link between the owls and swifts,..preserving something of the globular disk, nocturnal eyes and general appearance..of the former.

1942 National Geographic Mag. June 730/2 Orange squirrelfish with spiny fins and big nocturnal black eyes, peeped out of interstices in the reef.

1991 N.Y. Mag. 16 Dec. 62/1 We spend maybe half of the movie looking at raindrops, ceiling fans, window-panes,..and grass through the nocturnal eyes of low-slung hairballs.

3. Of a person: that engages in an activity or occupation by night; preferring to be active at night.

ΚΠ

1679 A. Behn Feign'd Curtizans iii. i. 34 Sir Henry is no Nocturnal Inamorato, unless like me he dissemble it.

1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 3rd Pt. ix. 101 The Poor Nocturnal Elves [sc. the City Watch] Have got a Leader like themselves.

1782 Pennsylvania Gaz. 13 Feb. The Sound being froze, has put it in the power of those nocturnal depredators, the refugees, to make incursions on our defenceless frontiers.

1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 155 They..observed..every accent and motion of these nocturnal wanderers. After conversing together some time in whispers, the two figures advanced into the middle of the chancel.

1898 H. G. Wells War of Worlds i. xiv. 119 A nocturnal newspaper reporter, mistaking my brother for the traffic manager,..waylaid and tried to interview him.

1908 N.Z. Truth 13 June 5 The nocturnal persons asked Mather for a match, and as he was producing a lucifer, the redoubtable Johnstone presented a revolver at his head.

1988 L. Blair Ring Fire 16 Lorne is diurnal; I am nocturnal.

†4. Of the nature of a nocturne. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [adjective]

defunctive1601

epicedial?c1615

pastoritial1654

serenading1673

nomic1728

rhapsodic1844

polycephalic1850

nocturnal1896

palindromic1961

1896 Peterson's Mag. Jan. 43/2 There is a nocturnal symphony between the first and second acts.

B. n.

1. Chiefly Nautical. A hand-held instrument for telling the time at night from the position of certain stars relative to the celestial pole, esp. the angle that the Pointers make to Polaris. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > measuring altitude > [noun] > at night

nocturnal1582

nocturlabe1594

1582 T. Blenerhasset Reuelation of True Minerua sig. B3 With an Astrolob of brasse, Globe, Compasse, a Nocturnal will doe well.

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 37 An Astrolabe, An Nocturnall.

1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. 46 A Nocturnal so ordered, that it shall give you the Hour of the Night by the North-Star.., whereby you may take the true Declination.

1690 W. Leybourn Cursus mathematicus f. 617 There are several sorts of Nocturnals, of which some are Projections of the Sphere.

a1748 I. Watts Geogr. & Astron. (1760) §20 206 The Instrument called a Nocturnal, wherein the most remarkable Stars are fixed in their proper Degrees of Declination and Right Ascension.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms Alidade, the index of a nocturnal or sea-quadrant.

1884 Chambers's Jrnl. 1 Nov. 695/1 Astrolabes, nocturnals, and other astronomical instruments..are largely represented.

1968 E. Bruton Clocks & Watches 23 Astronomers..invented an instrument called a ‘nocturnal’ for telling the time by the stars at night.

1989 Daily Tel. 31 Jan. 27/8 A fine collection of nocturnals can be seen at Flamsteed House, the original Greenwich Observatory, now a museum.

2. = night-piece n. 1c. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > [noun] > night-piece

nocturnal1607

night-piece1648

1607 J. Marston What you Will sig. A3 Dor. 1st Commedy, Tragedy, Pastoral, Morall, Nocturnal, or Historie. Phy. Faith perfectly neither, but euen What you will, a slight toye..ill plotted, worse written.

a1631 J. Donne (title) A nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day, being the shortest day.

1817 I. D'Israeli tr. Athenæus in Curiosities of Lit. 1st Ser. III. 179 A great poetical contemporary of our own country does not think that even dreams should pass away unnoted; and he calls this register, his Nocturnals.

1988 S. Davies Emily Brontë 155 Some of her greatest poems are nocturnals, reflecting a night-journey.

†3. = nocturn n. 1. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > canonical hours > matins > [noun] > division of

nocturnOE

orb1526

nocturnal1670

1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. iii. 91 All the Fryeries..say the Offices for the dead, and cause a Nocturnal [It. notturno] to be rehearsed.

4. A person out at night, esp. with criminal intentions. (In quot. 1693: a night-hag.)

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > a prostitute

meretrixOE

whoreOE

soiled dovea1250

common womanc1330

putec1384

bordel womanc1405

putaina1425

brothelc1450

harlot?a1475

public womanc1510

naughty pack?1529

draba1533

cat1535

strange woman1535

stew1552

causey-paikera1555

putanie?1566

drivelling1570

twigger1573

punka1575

hackney1579

customer1583

commodity1591

streetwalker1591

traffic1591

trug1591

hackster1592

polecat1593

stale1593

mermaid1595

medlar1597

occupant1598

Paphian1598

Winchester goose1598

pagan1600

hell-moth1602

aunt1604

moll1604

prostitution1605

community1606

miss1606

night-worm1606

bat1607

croshabell1607

prostitute1607

pug1607

venturer1607

nag1608

curtal1611

jumbler1611

land-frigate1611

walk-street1611

doll-common1612

turn-up1612

barber's chaira1616

commonera1616

public commonera1616

trader1615

venturea1616

stewpot1616

tweak1617

carry-knave1623

prostibule1623

fling-dusta1625

mar-taila1625

night-shadea1625

waistcoateera1625

night trader1630

coolera1632

meretrician1631

painted ladya1637

treadle1638

buttock1641

night-walker1648

mob?1650

lady (also girl, etc.) of the game1651

lady of pleasure1652

trugmullion1654

fallen woman1659

girlc1662

high-flyer1663

fireship1665

quaedama1670

small girl1671

visor-mask1672

vizard-mask1672

bulker1673

marmalade-madam1674

town miss1675

town woman1675

lady of the night1677

mawks1677

fling-stink1679

Whetstone whore1684

man-leech1687

nocturnal1693

hack1699

strum1699

fille de joie1705

market-dame1706

screw1725

girl of (the) town1733

Cytherean1751

street girl1764

monnisher1765

lady of easy virtue1766

woman (also lady) of the town1766

kennel-nymph1771

chicken1782

stargazer1785

loose fish1809

receiver general1811

Cyprian1819

mollya1822

dolly-mop1834

hooker1845

charver1846

tail1846

horse-breaker1861

professional1862

flagger1865

cocodette1867

cocotte1867

queen's woman1871

common prostitute1875

joro1884

geisha1887

horizontal1888

flossy1893

moth1896

girl of the pavement1900

pross1902

prossie1902

pusher1902

split-arse mechanic1903

broad1914

shawl1922

bum1923

quiff1923

hustler1924

lady of the evening1924

prostie1926

working girl1928

prostisciutto1930

maggie1932

brass1934

brass nail1934

mud kicker1934

scupper1935

model1936

poule de luxe1937

pro1937

chromo1941

Tom1941

pan-pan1949

twopenny upright1958

scrubber1959

slack1959

yum-yum girl1960

Suzie Wong1962

mattress1964

jamette1965

ho1966

sex worker1971

pavement princess1976

parlour girl1979

crack whore1990

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > nightmare or nocturnal demon

mareeOE

nightmarec1300

witch1440

night fury1552

incubus1561

night spirit1562

hag1598

ephialtes1601

tenebrio1656

night spectre1707

nocturnal1861

witch-riding1883

1693 N. Tate tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires ii. 24 Such vile Practices..As makes our Matrons lewd Nocturnals chast.

1823 Spirit of Public Jrnls. 40 Amongst a group of nocturnals, from St. Martin's watch-house.

1861 T. L. Peacock Gryll Grange xxxiv. 299 We implored the nocturnals to keep themselves to themselves, while we were returning from supper.

1992 New Yorker 28 Sept. 11/1 Like most waterfronts, the one on the lower West Side exerts a seedy fascination for nocturnals.

5. In plural. Nocturnal animals, esp. nocturnal birds. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > by habits or actions > [noun] > that goes by night

night-walker1655

nocturnals1840

1840 W. Whewell Philos. Inductive Sci. I. Pref. p. cx The predators are the Diurnals and the Nocturnals.

1872 Appletons' Jrnl. 12 Oct. 409/3 Whippoorwills..are very seldom seen, being decided nocturnals.

1964 R. Braddon Year Angry Rabbit xii. 104 ‘But this is dusk,’ Fitzgerald objected. ‘Yes, dear,’ Karen got the point quickly, ‘which for nocturnals is what dawn is to us.’

1985 L. Lochhead True Confessions 61 Wir nocturnals are insomniac And canny sleep till dark—A' us animals are crackers, Here in Calderpark.

Compounds

† nocturnal arc n. Astronomy Obsolete the arc on the celestial sphere as described by a celestial object below the horizon, between its setting and its rising.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > movement in orbit > orbit > diurnal circle > parts of

arcc1386

nocturnal arch1681

nocturnal arc1704

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Nocturnal Ark, is that Space in the Heavens which the Sun, Moon, or Stars, run thro' from their Rising to their Setting.

1786 J. Bonnycastle Introd. Astron. 422 Nocturnal arc is that space of the heavens which the sun apparently describes from the time of his setting to the time of his rising.

† nocturnal arch n. Astronomy Obsolete = nocturnal arc n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > movement in orbit > orbit > diurnal circle > parts of

arcc1386

nocturnal arch1681

nocturnal arc1704

a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe ii. §7. 13 The remenaunt of the bordure under the orisonte is the arch of the nyght.]

1681 J. Flamsteed Gresham Lect. (1975) 204 Therefor the Nocturnall Arch α ♑ n; in the Southerne tropick equall to y^e diurnall arch m ♋ o in y^e Northerne.

1856 T. Dick Compl. Wks. 76 The sun's nocturnal arch, or the curve he describes below the horizon.

nocturnal emission n. involuntary ejaculation of semen during sleep; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > ejaculation > involuntary during sleep

nocturnal pollution1650

nocturnal emission1821

wet dream1851

1821 J. Wilson Lect. Struct. & Dis. Male Urin. & Genital Organs xv. 424 He had experienced repeated erections, attended with nocturnal emissions.

1922 C. A. Hoff Ethical Sex Relations i. 313 We give the following prescription as very useful where there is any depression and nocturnal emissions.

1994 W. R. Newman Gehennical Fire v. 174 Starkey..recorded such sins as carnal lust and nocturnal emission in Thomas Shelton's tachygraphy, a form of shorthand.

nocturnal enuresis n. incontinence of urine during the night, esp. in a child; bed-wetting.

ΚΠ

1871 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 8 Apr. 363/1 A boy, aged 13 years, who for seven years had had nocturnal enuresis.

1909 Lancet 1 May 1245/2 He had frequently known nocturnal enuresis to persist after very thorough removal of adenoids and tonsils.

1989 J. Douglas Behaviour Probl. in Young Children (1992) 98 It is rare to find diurnal enuresis (daytime wetting) without nocturnal enuresis as well (bed wetting).

nocturnal pollution n. [after post-classical Latin nocturna pollutio (late 6th or early 7th cent.)] now archaic = nocturnal emission n.; also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > ejaculation > involuntary during sleep

nocturnal pollution1650

nocturnal emission1821

wet dream1851

1650 W. Charleton tr. J. B. van Helmont Ternary of Paradoxes (new ed.) Transl. Suppl. 98 Nostoch understandeth the nocturnall Pollution of some plethoricall and wanton Star, or rather excrement blown from the nostrills of some rheumatick planet,..in consistence like a gelly, and so trembling if touched.

1678 J. Locke Jrnl. 15 July in K. Dewhurst John Locke (1963) 131 A pill of tachamahaca..gave him in the night a nocturnal pollution, which he used not to have, but took away the other hysterical symptoms.

1871 R. Bartholow Spermatorrhoea 65 The nocturnal pollutions, at first accompanied by erections and a sensation of pleasure, at last become passive.

1999 A. Arensberg Incubus vii. xx. 231 During the witch-hunts many inquisitors believed that incubus demons ‘borrowed’ semen from men, collecting and hoarding the fluid men spilled in sleep during nocturnal pollutions.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	nocturnal
释义	nocturnaladj.n. Brit. /nɒkˈtəːnl/, U.S. /nɑkˈtərn(ə)l/ Forms: late Middle English–1600s nocturnall, late Middle English– nocturnal, 1500s necternall (perhaps transmission error), 1500s nocturnalle, 1600s–1700s noctural. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin nocturnalis, nocturnale. Etymology: < post-classical Latin nocturnalis of the night (5th cent.), liturgical book for night office (from 9th cent.; also nocturnale, neuter) < classical Latin nocturnus nocturn adj. + -ālis -al suffix¹. Compare Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French nocturnel (12th–16th cent.), Old French, Middle French nocturnal (12th cent.; French nocturnal is apparently reborrowed at the end of the 18th cent.), Old Occitan nocturnal, Italian notturnale (1611 in Florio), Spanish nocturnal.The frequency with which the variant noctural occurs suggests that it is not a straightforward transmission error; it may show remodelling after natural adj. With nocturnal office (see quot. 1485 at sense A. 1) compare post-classical Latin nocturnale officium (8th cent.; from 10th cent. in British sources). With sense B. 5 compare French nocturnes , plural (1805 in Cuvier). In sense B. 1 after German Nocturnal (1535 in a work title); compare nocturlabe n. A. adj. 1. Of or relating to the night; done, held, or occurring at night. ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > night > [adjective] nightlyeOE nightyc1475 nocturnal1485 noxiala1500 nightish1530 nocturn?1530 nighterly1559 owlish1596 night-tripping1598 epinyctal1600 nighted?1606 nightern1615 noctual1632 nocturnous1727 overnight1870 nitely1970 1485 W. Caxton tr. Lyf St. Wenefryde 20 I shold haue begonne my nocturnal offyce. a1500 Hymnal in R. S. Loomis Medieval Stud. in Memory G. S. Loomis (1927) 466 (MED) Owr voyce..En hansyng the with twnes musicall, Aftyr the dey be tymes nocturnall. 1537 tr. H. Latimer Serm. to Clergie sig. E The solempne and nocturnal bacchanals. 1599 A. M. tr. O. Gaebelkhover Bk. Physicke 4/2 When you intende to take your nocturnalle rest. 1637 J. Milton Comus 5 Haile Goddesse of Nocturnall sport Dark-vaild Cotytto. a1691 R. Boyle Gen. Hist. Air (1692) 32 He observed the nocturnal air to be very damp. 1759 S. Johnson Idler 24 Mar. 89 In this dismal gloom of nocturnal peregrination. 1792 W. Cowper Let. 29 July (1984) IV. 160 I have told you something of my nocturnal experiences. 1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. ix. 349 The victim of a nocturnal sacrifice to the powers below. 1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 12 A nocturnal council is instituted for the preservation of the state. 1929 D. L. Moore Pandora's Let. Box iii. 53 ‘Night life’—to use the popular expression for habitual nocturnal dancing and drinking. 1987 D. Gersi Explorer viii. 163 The jungle's nocturnal symphony resounds in the cathedral of trees with an astonishing diversity of sounds. 2. a. Of an animal: active chiefly or exclusively at night. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > by habits or actions > [adjective] > active at night nocturnal1599 vespertine1607 crepuscular1826 1599 A. Hume Hymnes sig. C3^v Bot euerie bais'd nocturnall beast, Na langer may abide. 1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxiv. 10 Some rifted den, Where flock nocturnal bats, and birds obscene. 1766 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. i. 51 The hedge hog is a nocturnal animal. 1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VIII. 38 This tribe of insects has therefore been divided into Diurnal and Nocturnal Flies. 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxv. 639 In the Crepuscular and Nocturnal Lepidoptera this fold..is very slight. 1849 Sketches Nat. Hist.: Mammalia IV. 15 In their habits they are nocturnal. 1870 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. II. lxx. 464 The Nocturnal Birds of Prey, which..have the eyes directed forwards. 1929 Times 17 May 18 (caption) A pair of douroucolis, or nocturnal owl-faced monkeys,..recently acquired by the Zoo. 1974 W. Condry Woodlands vi. 71 The wood mouse..has the large, prominent eyes of a strictly nocturnal animal. 1993 Your Garden May 31/3 Vine weevils can cause a lot of damage. The adults are often found on windowsills, pots etc. early in the morning as they are nocturnal. b. Of an eye: adapted for vision at night. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > types of vision > [adjective] > able to see at night night-eyed1605 nocturnal1840 nyctalope1848 1840 E. Blyth et al. Cuvier's Animal Kingdom 62 The Dourocouli..only differ from the Sagouins by their great nocturnal eyes. 1853 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Dec. 626/2 The..insectivorous night-birds of North America..form a sort of link between the owls and swifts,..preserving something of the globular disk, nocturnal eyes and general appearance..of the former. 1942 National Geographic Mag. June 730/2 Orange squirrelfish with spiny fins and big nocturnal black eyes, peeped out of interstices in the reef. 1991 N.Y. Mag. 16 Dec. 62/1 We spend maybe half of the movie looking at raindrops, ceiling fans, window-panes,..and grass through the nocturnal eyes of low-slung hairballs. 3. Of a person: that engages in an activity or occupation by night; preferring to be active at night. ΚΠ 1679 A. Behn Feign'd Curtizans iii. i. 34 Sir Henry is no Nocturnal Inamorato, unless like me he dissemble it. 1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 3rd Pt. ix. 101 The Poor Nocturnal Elves [sc. the City Watch] Have got a Leader like themselves. 1782 Pennsylvania Gaz. 13 Feb. The Sound being froze, has put it in the power of those nocturnal depredators, the refugees, to make incursions on our defenceless frontiers. 1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 155 They..observed..every accent and motion of these nocturnal wanderers. After conversing together some time in whispers, the two figures advanced into the middle of the chancel. 1898 H. G. Wells War of Worlds i. xiv. 119 A nocturnal newspaper reporter, mistaking my brother for the traffic manager,..waylaid and tried to interview him. 1908 N.Z. Truth 13 June 5 The nocturnal persons asked Mather for a match, and as he was producing a lucifer, the redoubtable Johnstone presented a revolver at his head. 1988 L. Blair Ring Fire 16 Lorne is diurnal; I am nocturnal. †4. Of the nature of a nocturne. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [adjective] defunctive1601 epicedial?c1615 pastoritial1654 serenading1673 nomic1728 rhapsodic1844 polycephalic1850 nocturnal1896 palindromic1961 1896 Peterson's Mag. Jan. 43/2 There is a nocturnal symphony between the first and second acts. B. n. 1. Chiefly Nautical. A hand-held instrument for telling the time at night from the position of certain stars relative to the celestial pole, esp. the angle that the Pointers make to Polaris. Now historical. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > measuring altitude > [noun] > at night nocturnal1582 nocturlabe1594 1582 T. Blenerhasset Reuelation of True Minerua sig. B3 With an Astrolob of brasse, Globe, Compasse, a Nocturnal will doe well. 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 37 An Astrolabe, An Nocturnall. 1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. 46 A Nocturnal so ordered, that it shall give you the Hour of the Night by the North-Star.., whereby you may take the true Declination. 1690 W. Leybourn Cursus mathematicus f. 617 There are several sorts of Nocturnals, of which some are Projections of the Sphere. a1748 I. Watts Geogr. & Astron. (1760) §20 206 The Instrument called a Nocturnal, wherein the most remarkable Stars are fixed in their proper Degrees of Declination and Right Ascension. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms Alidade, the index of a nocturnal or sea-quadrant. 1884 Chambers's Jrnl. 1 Nov. 695/1 Astrolabes, nocturnals, and other astronomical instruments..are largely represented. 1968 E. Bruton Clocks & Watches 23 Astronomers..invented an instrument called a ‘nocturnal’ for telling the time by the stars at night. 1989 Daily Tel. 31 Jan. 27/8 A fine collection of nocturnals can be seen at Flamsteed House, the original Greenwich Observatory, now a museum. 2. = night-piece n. 1c. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > [noun] > night-piece nocturnal1607 night-piece1648 1607 J. Marston What you Will sig. A3 Dor. 1st Commedy, Tragedy, Pastoral, Morall, Nocturnal, or Historie. Phy. Faith perfectly neither, but euen What you will, a slight toye..ill plotted, worse written. a1631 J. Donne (title) A nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day, being the shortest day. 1817 I. D'Israeli tr. Athenæus in Curiosities of Lit. 1st Ser. III. 179 A great poetical contemporary of our own country does not think that even dreams should pass away unnoted; and he calls this register, his Nocturnals. 1988 S. Davies Emily Brontë 155 Some of her greatest poems are nocturnals, reflecting a night-journey. †3. = nocturn n. 1. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > canonical hours > matins > [noun] > division of nocturnOE orb1526 nocturnal1670 1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. iii. 91 All the Fryeries..say the Offices for the dead, and cause a Nocturnal [It. notturno] to be rehearsed. 4. A person out at night, esp. with criminal intentions. (In quot. 1693: a night-hag.) ΘΚΠ society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > a prostitute meretrixOE whoreOE soiled dovea1250 common womanc1330 putec1384 bordel womanc1405 putaina1425 brothelc1450 harlot?a1475 public womanc1510 naughty pack?1529 draba1533 cat1535 strange woman1535 stew1552 causey-paikera1555 putanie?1566 drivelling1570 twigger1573 punka1575 hackney1579 customer1583 commodity1591 streetwalker1591 traffic1591 trug1591 hackster1592 polecat1593 stale1593 mermaid1595 medlar1597 occupant1598 Paphian1598 Winchester goose1598 pagan1600 hell-moth1602 aunt1604 moll1604 prostitution1605 community1606 miss1606 night-worm1606 bat1607 croshabell1607 prostitute1607 pug1607 venturer1607 nag1608 curtal1611 jumbler1611 land-frigate1611 walk-street1611 doll-common1612 turn-up1612 barber's chaira1616 commonera1616 public commonera1616 trader1615 venturea1616 stewpot1616 tweak1617 carry-knave1623 prostibule1623 fling-dusta1625 mar-taila1625 night-shadea1625 waistcoateera1625 night trader1630 coolera1632 meretrician1631 painted ladya1637 treadle1638 buttock1641 night-walker1648 mob?1650 lady (also girl, etc.) of the game1651 lady of pleasure1652 trugmullion1654 fallen woman1659 girlc1662 high-flyer1663 fireship1665 quaedama1670 small girl1671 visor-mask1672 vizard-mask1672 bulker1673 marmalade-madam1674 town miss1675 town woman1675 lady of the night1677 mawks1677 fling-stink1679 Whetstone whore1684 man-leech1687 nocturnal1693 hack1699 strum1699 fille de joie1705 market-dame1706 screw1725 girl of (the) town1733 Cytherean1751 street girl1764 monnisher1765 lady of easy virtue1766 woman (also lady) of the town1766 kennel-nymph1771 chicken1782 stargazer1785 loose fish1809 receiver general1811 Cyprian1819 mollya1822 dolly-mop1834 hooker1845 charver1846 tail1846 horse-breaker1861 professional1862 flagger1865 cocodette1867 cocotte1867 queen's woman1871 common prostitute1875 joro1884 geisha1887 horizontal1888 flossy1893 moth1896 girl of the pavement1900 pross1902 prossie1902 pusher1902 split-arse mechanic1903 broad1914 shawl1922 bum1923 quiff1923 hustler1924 lady of the evening1924 prostie1926 working girl1928 prostisciutto1930 maggie1932 brass1934 brass nail1934 mud kicker1934 scupper1935 model1936 poule de luxe1937 pro1937 chromo1941 Tom1941 pan-pan1949 twopenny upright1958 scrubber1959 slack1959 yum-yum girl1960 Suzie Wong1962 mattress1964 jamette1965 ho1966 sex worker1971 pavement princess1976 parlour girl1979 crack whore1990 the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [noun] > nightmare or nocturnal demon mareeOE nightmarec1300 witch1440 night fury1552 incubus1561 night spirit1562 hag1598 ephialtes1601 tenebrio1656 night spectre1707 nocturnal1861 witch-riding1883 1693 N. Tate tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires ii. 24 Such vile Practices..As makes our Matrons lewd Nocturnals chast. 1823 Spirit of Public Jrnls. 40 Amongst a group of nocturnals, from St. Martin's watch-house. 1861 T. L. Peacock Gryll Grange xxxiv. 299 We implored the nocturnals to keep themselves to themselves, while we were returning from supper. 1992 New Yorker 28 Sept. 11/1 Like most waterfronts, the one on the lower West Side exerts a seedy fascination for nocturnals. 5. In plural. Nocturnal animals, esp. nocturnal birds. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > by habits or actions > [noun] > that goes by night night-walker1655 nocturnals1840 1840 W. Whewell Philos. Inductive Sci. I. Pref. p. cx The predators are the Diurnals and the Nocturnals. 1872 Appletons' Jrnl. 12 Oct. 409/3 Whippoorwills..are very seldom seen, being decided nocturnals. 1964 R. Braddon Year Angry Rabbit xii. 104 ‘But this is dusk,’ Fitzgerald objected. ‘Yes, dear,’ Karen got the point quickly, ‘which for nocturnals is what dawn is to us.’ 1985 L. Lochhead True Confessions 61 Wir nocturnals are insomniac And canny sleep till dark—A' us animals are crackers, Here in Calderpark. Compounds † nocturnal arc n. Astronomy Obsolete the arc on the celestial sphere as described by a celestial object below the horizon, between its setting and its rising. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > movement in orbit > orbit > diurnal circle > parts of arcc1386 nocturnal arch1681 nocturnal arc1704 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Nocturnal Ark, is that Space in the Heavens which the Sun, Moon, or Stars, run thro' from their Rising to their Setting. 1786 J. Bonnycastle Introd. Astron. 422 Nocturnal arc is that space of the heavens which the sun apparently describes from the time of his setting to the time of his rising. † nocturnal arch n. Astronomy Obsolete = nocturnal arc n. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > movement in orbit > orbit > diurnal circle > parts of arcc1386 nocturnal arch1681 nocturnal arc1704 a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe ii. §7. 13 The remenaunt of the bordure under the orisonte is the arch of the nyght.] 1681 J. Flamsteed Gresham Lect. (1975) 204 Therefor the Nocturnall Arch α ♑ n; in the Southerne tropick equall to y^e diurnall arch m ♋ o in y^e Northerne. 1856 T. Dick Compl. Wks. 76 The sun's nocturnal arch, or the curve he describes below the horizon. nocturnal emission n. involuntary ejaculation of semen during sleep; an instance of this. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > ejaculation > involuntary during sleep nocturnal pollution1650 nocturnal emission1821 wet dream1851 1821 J. Wilson Lect. Struct. & Dis. Male Urin. & Genital Organs xv. 424 He had experienced repeated erections, attended with nocturnal emissions. 1922 C. A. Hoff Ethical Sex Relations i. 313 We give the following prescription as very useful where there is any depression and nocturnal emissions. 1994 W. R. Newman Gehennical Fire v. 174 Starkey..recorded such sins as carnal lust and nocturnal emission in Thomas Shelton's tachygraphy, a form of shorthand. nocturnal enuresis n. incontinence of urine during the night, esp. in a child; bed-wetting. ΚΠ 1871 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 8 Apr. 363/1 A boy, aged 13 years, who for seven years had had nocturnal enuresis. 1909 Lancet 1 May 1245/2 He had frequently known nocturnal enuresis to persist after very thorough removal of adenoids and tonsils. 1989 J. Douglas Behaviour Probl. in Young Children (1992) 98 It is rare to find diurnal enuresis (daytime wetting) without nocturnal enuresis as well (bed wetting). nocturnal pollution n. [after post-classical Latin nocturna pollutio (late 6th or early 7th cent.)] now archaic = nocturnal emission n.; also in extended use. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > ejaculation > involuntary during sleep nocturnal pollution1650 nocturnal emission1821 wet dream1851 1650 W. Charleton tr. J. B. van Helmont Ternary of Paradoxes (new ed.) Transl. Suppl. 98 Nostoch understandeth the nocturnall Pollution of some plethoricall and wanton Star, or rather excrement blown from the nostrills of some rheumatick planet,..in consistence like a gelly, and so trembling if touched. 1678 J. Locke Jrnl. 15 July in K. Dewhurst John Locke (1963) 131 A pill of tachamahaca..gave him in the night a nocturnal pollution, which he used not to have, but took away the other hysterical symptoms. 1871 R. Bartholow Spermatorrhoea 65 The nocturnal pollutions, at first accompanied by erections and a sensation of pleasure, at last become passive. 1999 A. Arensberg Incubus vii. xx. 231 During the witch-hunts many inquisitors believed that incubus demons ‘borrowed’ semen from men, collecting and hoarding the fluid men spilled in sleep during nocturnal pollutions. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1485
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