lady-of-the-night

American  

[ley-dee-uhv-thuh-nahyt] / ˈleɪ di əv ðəˈnaɪt /

noun

plural

ladies-of-the-night

1. a tropical American shrub, Brunfelsia americana, of the nightshade family, having berrylike yellow fruit and fragrant white flowers.

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Etymology

Origin of lady-of-the-night

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

She was no longer the self-revealed woman of the afternoon, but seemingly an affable, harmless old lady of the night on the boundary of her social world.

From The Mettle of the Pasture by Allen, James Lane

And now they stopp'd; and each prepared ��To tell what she had done, Since last the lady of the night ��Her waning course had run.

From The Poetical Works of Henry Kirk White : With a Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas by White, Henry Kirk

The death-bird gave a dismal cry, The river moan'd, the wild gale whistled by, And once again the lady of the night Behind a heavy cloud withdrew her light.

From The Poetical Works of Henry Kirk White : With a Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas by White, Henry Kirk