dusk

 
Pronunciation: /dʌsk/

noun

  • the darker stage of twilight: dusk was falling rapidly working the land from dawn to dusk
  • [mass noun] literary semi-darkness: the dusk of the vestry

verb

[no object] literary
  • grow dark: (as adjective dusking) he saw the lights blaze in the dusking sky

adjective

literary
  • shadowy, dim, or dark: the dusk demesnes of night

Origin:

Old English dox 'dark, swarthy' and doxian 'darken in colour', of Germanic origin; related to Old High German tusin 'darkish'; compare with dun1 The noun dates from the early 17th century The change in form from -x to -sk occurred in Middle English