And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. --Gen. i. 5.
2. Hence:
(a) Darkness; obscurity; concealment.
Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night.
--Pope.
(b) Intellectual and moral darkness; ignorance.
(c) A state of affliction; adversity; as, a dreary night
of sorrow.
(d) The period after the close of life; death.
She closed her eyes in everlasting night.
--Dryden.
(e) A lifeless or unenlivened period, as when nature seems
to sleep. ``Sad winter's night''. --Spenser.
Note: Night is sometimes used, esp. with participles, in the
formation of self-explaining compounds; as,
night-blooming, night-born, night-warbling, etc.
{Night by night}, {Night after night}, nightly; many nights.
So help me God, as I have watched the night, Ay,
night by night, in studying good for England.
--Shak.
{Night bird}. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The moor hen ({Gallinula chloropus}).
(b) The Manx shearwater ({Puffinus Anglorum}).
{Night blindness}. (Med.) See {Hemeralopia}.
{Night cart}, a cart used to remove the contents of privies
by night.
{Night churr}, (Zo["o]l.), the nightjar.
{Night crow}, a bird that cries in the night.
{Night dog}, a dog that hunts in the night, -- used by
poachers.
{Night fire}.
(a) Fire burning in the night.
(b) Ignis fatuus; Will-o'-the-wisp; Jask-with-a-lantern.
{Night flyer} (Zo["o]l.), any creature that flies in the
night, as some birds and insects.
{night glass}, a spyglass constructed to concentrate a large
amount of light, so as see objects distinctly at night.
--Totten.
{Night hag}, a witch supposed to wander in the night.
{Night hawk} (Zo["o]l.), an American bird ({Chordeiles
Virginianus}), allied to the goatsucker. It hunts the
insects on which it feeds toward evening, on the wing, and
often, diving down perpendicularly, produces a loud
whirring sound, like that of a spinning wheel. Also
sometimes applied to the European goatsuckers. It is
called also {bull bat}.
{Night heron} ({Zo["o]l}.), any one of several species of
herons of the genus {Nycticorax}, found in various parts
of the world. The best known species is {Nycticorax
griseus}, or {N. nycticorax}, of Europe, and the American
variety (var. n[ae]vius). The yellow-crowned night heron
({Nycticorax violaceus}) inhabits the Southern States.
Called also {qua-bird}, and {squawk}.
{Night house}, a public house, or inn, which is open at
night.
{Night key}, a key for unfastening a night latch.
{Night latch}, a kind of latch for a door, which is operated
from the outside by a key.
{Night monkey} (Zo["o]l.), an owl monkey.
{night moth} (Zo["o]l.), any one of the noctuids.
{Night parrot} (Zo["o]l.), the kakapo.
{Night piece}, a painting representing some night scene, as a
moonlight effect, or the like.
{Night rail}, a loose robe, or garment, worn either as a
nightgown, or over the dress at night, or in sickness.
[Obs.]
{Night raven} (Zo["o]l.), a bird of ill omen that cries in
the night; esp., the bittern.
{Night rule}.
(a) A tumult, or frolic, in the night; -- as if a
corruption, of night revel. [Obs.]
(b) Such conduct as generally rules, or prevails, at
night.
What night rule now about this haunted grove?
--Shak.
{Night sight}. (Med.) See {Nyctolopia}.
{Night snap}, a night thief. [Cant] --Beau. & Fl.
{Night soil}, human excrement; -- so called because in cities
it is collected by night and carried away for manure.
{Night spell}, a charm against accidents at night.
{Night swallow} (Zo["o]l.), the nightjar.
{Night walk}, a walk in the evening or night.
{Night walker}.
(a) One who walks in his sleep; a somnambulist; a
noctambulist.
(b) One who roves about in the night for evil purposes;
specifically, a prostitute who walks the streets.
{Night walking}.
(a) Walking in one's sleep; somnambulism; noctambulism.
(b) Walking the streets at night with evil designs.
{Night warbler} (Zo["o]l.), the sedge warbler ({Acrocephalus
phragmitis}); -- called also {night singer}. [prov. Eng.]
{Night watch}.
(a) A period in the night, as distinguished by the change
of watch.
(b) A watch, or guard, to aford protection in the night.
{Night watcher}, one who watches in the night; especially,
one who watches with evil designs.
{Night witch}. Same as {Night hag}, above.
2. A name popularly given to the delicate morsel contained in
a small cavity of the bone on each side of the lower part
of the back of a fowl.
{Fresh-water oyster} (Zo["o]l.), any species of the genus
{Etheria}, and allied genera, found in rivers of Africa
and South America. They are irregular in form, and attach
themselves to rocks like oysters, but they have a pearly
interior, and are allied to the fresh-water mussels.
{Oyster bed}, a breeding place for oysters; a place in a
tidal river or other water on or near the seashore, where
oysters are deposited to grow and fatten for market. See
1st {Scalp}, n.
{Oyster catcher} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
wading birds of the genus {H[ae]matopus}, which frequent
seashores and feed upon shellfish. The European species
({H. ostralegus}), the common American species ({H.
palliatus}), and the California, or black, oyster catcher
({H. Bachmani}) are the best known.
{Oyster crab} (Zo["o]l.) a small crab ({Pinnotheres ostreum})
which lives as a commensal in the gill cavity of the
oyster.
{Oyster dredge}, a rake or small dragnet of bringing up
oyster from the bottom of the sea.
{Oyster fish}. ({Zo["o]l}.)
(a) The tautog.
(b) The toadfish.
{Oyster plant}. (Bot.)
(a) A plant of the genus {Tragopogon} ({T. porrifolius}),
the root of which, when cooked, somewhat resembles the
oyster in taste; salsify; -- called also {vegetable
oyster}.
(b) A plant found on the seacoast of Northern Europe,
America and Asia ({Mertensia maritima}), the fresh
leaves of which have a strong flavor of oysters.
{Oyster plover}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Oyster catcher}, above.
{Oyster shell} (Zo["o]l.), the shell of an oyster.
{Oyster wench}, {Oyster wife}, {Oyster women}, a women who
deals in oysters.
{Pearl oyster}. (Zo["o]l.) See under {Pearl}.
{Thorny oyster} (Zo["o]l.), any spiny marine shell of the
genus {Spondylus}.
2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several American partridges
belonging to {Colinus}, {Callipepla}, and allied genera,
especially the bobwhite (called {Virginia quail}, and
{Maryland quail}), and the California quail ({Calipepla
Californica}).
3. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of Turnix and
allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian
painted quail ({Turnix varius}). See {Turnix}.
4. A prostitute; -- so called because the quail was thought
to be a very amorous bird.[Obs.] --Shak.
{Bustard quail} (Zo["o]l.), a small Asiatic quail-like bird
of the genus Turnix, as {T. taigoor}, a black-breasted
species, and the hill bustard quail ({T. ocellatus}). See
{Turnix}.
{Button quail} (Zo["o]l.), one of several small Asiatic
species of Turnix, as {T. Sykesii}, which is said to be
the smallest game bird of India.
{Mountain quail}. See under {Mountain}.
{Quail call}, a call or pipe for alluring quails into a net
or within range.
{Quail dove} {(Zo["o]l.)}, any one of several American ground
pigeons belonging to {Geotrygon} and allied genera.
{Quail hawk} (Zo["o]l.), the New Zealand sparrow hawk
({Hieracidea Nov[ae]-Hollandi[ae]}).
{Quail pipe}. See {Quail call}, above.
{Quail snipe} (Zo["o]l.), the dowitcher, or red-breasted
snipe; -- called also {robin snipe}, and {brown snipe}.
{Sea quail} (Zo["o]l.), the turnstone. [Local, U. S.]