gloaming

American  

[gloh-ming] / ˈgloʊ mɪŋ /

noun

1. twilight; dusk.

---

gloaming British  

/ ˈɡləʊmɪŋ /

noun

1. poetic twilight or dusk

---

Etymology

Origin of gloaming

First recorded before 1000; Middle English gloming, Old English glōmung, derivative of glōm “twilight”

Explanation

A poetic word for "twilight," or the time of day immediately after the sun sets, is gloaming. The best thing about summer evenings is looking for twinkling fireflies in the gloaming. That romantic time of day when the light has mostly faded but it's not quite dark yet? You can call that the gloaming. This is a word with a strong Scottish heritage, rooted in the Old English word for "twilight," glōm. While it fell out of general use in English for centuries, Scots speakers kept it alive, leading to its re-adoption by English poets and novelists in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

Martin Hayes and the Gloaming They made a television series in Ireland and asked six middle-aged personalities if they would learn something new.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2022

This duo, which appeared at Montgomery College in March, will be two-fifths of the Gloaming, the Irish all-star group that plays “Ireland 100” on June 4.

From Washington Post • May 12, 2016

"It was such a foreign concept. Gloaming," she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2016

Gloaming is upon us when we arrive at our campsite, nine circuitous miles from where we began.

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2012

Dave Cowan finished "In the Gloaming," brazenly, though it was not thought music by either Lyman or Winona, who would presently dash into the "Poet and Peasant" overture.

From The Wrong Twin by Wilson, Harry Leon

Related Words

• dusk
• twilight