nocturn

[ nok-turn ]

/ ˈnɒk tɜrn /

Save This Word!

noun Roman Catholic Church.

the office of matins, consisting of nine psalms and either three or nine lessons.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of nocturn

before 1150; Middle English nocturne<Medieval Latin nocturna, noun use of feminine of Latin nocturnus by night; replacing Old English noctern<Medieval Latin, as above

Words nearby nocturn

noctis, noctograph, noctuid, noctule, nocturia, nocturn, nocturnal, nocturnal arc, nocturnal emission, nocturne, nocuous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nocturn in a sentence

The elders did not observe the nocturn that night until prime on the morrow.
The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran|Anonymous
It was to be lighted again by one of the novices appointed for the purpose during the last psalm of each Nocturn.
English Monastic Life|Abbot Gasquet
The contessa's reception began at the first nocturn, between sunset and midnight.
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel|Robert Shea
She was the chief of the domin nocturn, who frequented houses at night and were thought to bring abundance of temporal goods.
A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume III|Henry Charles Lea

When all were assembled, fifteen psalms were sung; then came the nocturn and more psalms.
Curiosities of Christian History|Croake James

British Dictionary definitions for nocturn

nocturn

/ (ˈnɒktɜːn) /

noun

RC Church any of the main sections of the office of matins

Word Origin for nocturn

C13: from Medieval Latin nocturna, from Latin nocturnus nocturnal, from nox night

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