nocturne

[ nok-turn ]
See synonyms for nocturne on Thesaurus.com
nounMusic.
  1. a piece appropriate to the night or evening.

  2. an instrumental composition of a dreamy or pensive character.

Origin of nocturne

1
From the French word nocturne, dating back to 1860–65. See nocturn

Words Nearby nocturne

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nocturne in a sentence

  • The lovely "nocturne" of the evening plain had passed into a Vision or Masque of Force that captured the mind.

    Marriage la mode | Mrs. Humphry Ward
  • Azalea stopped singing, but played on in dreamy mood a low, sad nocturne.

    They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
  • Emmie sang two more songs, Julia laughing and coquetting with Ethan over prelude and interlude; and then Julia played a nocturne.

    The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
  • How can one teach the interpretation of a Chopin nocturne, for instance, by merely talking about it.

    Piano Mastery | Harriette Brower
  • The unique character of nocturne makes it very hard to write about Swinnerton.

    When Winter Comes to Main Street | Grant Martin Overton

British Dictionary definitions for nocturne

nocturne

/ (ˈnɒktɜːn) /


noun
  1. a short, lyrical piece of music, esp one for the piano

  2. a painting or tone poem of a night scene

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