Word of the day: Vespertine

Vespertine

[VES-pər-tahyn]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 16th century

Relating to, occurring, or active in the evening.

Examples of vespertine in a sentence

"The pub is lovely in the daytime, but it comes alive when the vespertine crowd arrives after supper."

"There are a few different vespertine animals, including owls, living in our acre of forest."

About Vespertine

“Vespertine” is based on the Latin “vespertīnus,” meaning “evening.”

Did you know?

While there are many crepuscular animals — those active at dawn and dusk — the animals active only in evening are described as “vespertine.” (Those active in the predawn hours, meanwhile, are known as “matutinal.”) The best-known vespertine animals are bats and owls, but many insects also appear during the vespertine hours, and there are even vespertine flowers, which bloom in the evening. However, "vespertine" does not describe the whole night: The creatures and plants that continue their activity all night are nocturnal, not vespertine.