nightcap

[nahyt-kap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nightcap ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. an alcoholic drink taken at bedtime or at the end of a festive evening.

a cap for the head, intended primarily to be worn in bed.

Sports Informal. the last event of the program for the day, especially the second game of a doubleheader in baseball or the last race of the day in horse racing.

Origin of nightcap

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at night, cap¹

Related formsnight·capped, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nightcap

sedative, nightcap, digestif, bromide, hypnotic, soporific, barbiturate, benzodiazepine

Examples from the Web for nightcap

Contemporary Examples of nightcap

That night, about a week before Thanksgiving, Salahi invited her to his hotel room for a nightcap.
Tareq Salahi’s New Troubles
Diane Dimond
March 8, 2012
Elaine was always happy to see me, although she didn't bother to hide her irritation when I'd come for a nightcap.
Farewell to New York's Legendary Restaurateur
Lloyd Grove
December 3, 2010

Historical Examples of nightcap

I suppose after what you've said it's no use asking you to have a nightcap, Vane?
The Missionary
George Griffith
A mug of mulled claret for a nightcap, and a good sleep, will set you all right.
Barrington
Charles James Lever
Do you remember the story of the 'Doctor' in the first Nightcap book?
The Big Nightcap Letters
Frances Elizabeth Barrow
This is the night-shirt, and formerly a "nightcap" was used by some.
As A Chinaman Saw Us
Anonymous
The word 'nightcap' is spelled with and without a hyphen in the text.
Careless Jane and Other Tales
Katharine Pyle

British Dictionary definitions for nightcap

nightcap

noun

a bedtime drink, esp an alcoholic or hot one

a soft cap formerly worn in bed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nightcap

also night-cap, late 14c., "covering for the head, worn in bed," from night + cap (n.). In the alcoholic sense, it is attested from 1818. American English sense of "final event in a sporting contest" (especially the second game of a baseball double-header) is from 1939.