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Origin and history of twilight

twilight(n.)

"light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon at morning and evening," c. 1400 (late 14c. as twilighting), a compound of twi- + light (n.) Cognate with Middle Flemish twilicht, Dutch tweelicht (16c.), Middle High German twelicht, German zwielicht. Glossing Latin crepusculum.

The connotation of twi- in this word is unclear, but it appears more likely to refer to "half" light than to twilight's occurring twice a day. Compare also Sanskrit samdhya "twilight," literally "a holding together, junction," Middle High German zwischerliecht, literally "tweenlight."

Originally and most commonly in English with reference to evening twilight but occasionally used of morning twilight (the specific sense attested by mid-15c.).

In reference to any faint light or partial darkness from 1660s. Figurative extension is by c. 1600, as "intermediate position or period," also "indistinct medium of perception, state of hazy illumination." As an adjective, "belonging to or pertaining to twilight" (1620s).

Twilight zone is from 1901 in a literal sense, a part of the sky lit by twilight; from 1909 in extended senses in references to topics or cases where authority or behavior is unclear. The U.S. TV series of that name is from 1959. In the 1909 novel "In the Twilight Zone," the reference is to mulatto heritage ("She was in the twilight zone between the races where each might claim her ..."). James Russell Lowell (1889) has twi-life "life marked by indistinct consciousness or awareness."

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to twilight

light(n.)

"brightness, radiant energy, that which makes things visible," Old English leht (Anglian), leoht (West Saxon), "light, daylight; spiritual illumination," from Proto-Germanic *leukhtam (source also of Old Saxon lioht, Old Frisian liacht, Middle Dutch lucht, Dutch licht, Old High German lioht, German Licht, Gothic liuhaþ "light"), from PIE root *leuk- "light, brightness."

The -gh- was an Anglo-French scribal attempt to render the Germanic hard -h- sound, which has since disappeared from this word.

The meaning "something used for igniting" is from 1680s. The sense of "a consideration which puts something in a certain view" (as in in light of) is from 1680s. As short for traffic light from 1938.

The figurative spiritual sense was in Old English; the sense of "mental illumination" is recorded by mid-15c. Quaker use is by 1650s; New Light/Old Light in church doctrine also is from 1650s.

Omnia, quae sunt, lumina sunt [Scotus Erigena (810?-877?) "All things that are, are light"]

The meaning "person eminent or conspicuous" is from 1590s. A source of joy or delight has been the light of (someone's) eyes since Old English:

Ðu eart dohtor min, minra eagna leoht [Juliana].

Phrases such as according to (one's) lights "to the best of one's natural or acquired capacities" preserve an older sense attested from 1520s. To figuratively stand in (someone's) light is from late 14c. To see the light "come into the world" is from 1680s; later as "come to full realization" (1812). The rock concert light-show is from 1966. To be out like a light "suddenly or completely unconscious" is from 1934.

twi-night(adj.)

1939, in reference to evening double-header baseball games, from twilight + night.

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More to explore

dusk
"partial darkness, state between light and darkness, twilight," 1620s, from an earlier adjective dusk, from Middle English dosc (c. 1200) "obscure, not bright; tending to darkness, shadowy," having more to do with color than light, which is of uncertain origin, not found in Old E
gloaming
Old English glomung "twilight, the fall of evening," found but once (glossing Latin crepusculum), and formed (probably on model of æfning "evening") from glom "twilight," which is related to glowan "to glow" (hence "glow of sunrise or sunset"), from Proto-Germanic *glo- (see glow
fall
Old English feallan (class VII strong verb; past tense feoll, past participle feallen) "to drop from a height; fail, decay, die," from Proto-Germanic *fallanan (source also of Old Frisian falla, Old Saxon fallan, Dutch vallen, Old Norse falla, Old High German fallan, German falle
crepuscular
figurative use, "dim, indistinct," is attested from 1660s; literal use, "pertaining to or resembling twilight," from 1755..., from Latin crepusculum "twilight, dusk," related to creper "obscure, uncertain," from Proto-Italic *krepos "twilight,"...It is not certain whether "twilight" or "obscure" was the original sense; de Vaan writes, "there is no known root of the...Especially of evening twilight, but 17c.-18c. also "like morning twilight" as symbolic of imperfect enlightenment....
Celtic
Celtic twilight is from Yeats's name for his collection of adapted Irish folk tales (1893)....
temerity
Lithuanian tamsa "darkness," tamsus "dark;" Old Church Slavonic tima "darkness;" Old High German dinstar "dark," demar "twilight...
gloom
Not considered to be related to Old English glom "twilight" (see gloaming)....
evening
from Old English æfnung "the coming of evening, sunset, time around sunset," verbal noun from æfnian "become evening, grow toward evening," from æfen "evening" (see eve). As a synonym of even (n.) in the sense "time from sunset to bedtime," it dates from mid-15c. and now entirely
decline
late 14c., "to turn aside, deviate" (a sense now archaic), also "sink to a lower level," and, figuratively, "fall to an inferior or impaired condition," from Old French decliner "to sink, decline, degenerate, turn aside," from Latin declinare "to lower; avoid, deviate; bend from,
night
late Old English niht (West Saxon neaht, Anglian næht, neht) "the dark part of a day; the night as a unit of time; darkness," also "absence of spiritual illumination, moral darkness, ignorance," from Proto-Germanic *nahts (source also of Old Saxon and Old High German naht, Old Fr

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