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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Of, relating to, or occurring in the evening.
  2. adj. Botany Opening or blooming in the evening.
  3. adj. Zoology Becoming active in the evening, as bats and owls; crepuscular.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. In astrology, setting after the sun: said of a planet.
  2. Of or pertaining to the evening; happening or being in the evening.
  3. In botany, opening in the evening, as a flower.
  4. [capitalized] In geology, noting one of Prof. H. D. Rogers's divisions of the Paleozoic series in Pennsylvania. It corresponds to No. X. of the numbered series of thePennsylvania Survey, and includes the Pocono sandstone and Conglomerate, forming the base of the Carboniferous, and lying immediately beneath the Mauch Chunk Red Shale (the “Umbral” of Rogers's nomenclature). See Pocono sandstone, under sandstone.
  5. In zoology, crepuscular; flying or otherwise specially active in the twilight of evening, as an insect, a bat, or a bird: as, the vespertine or evening grosbeak, Hesperiphona vespertina.
  6. In astronomy, descending from the meridian to the horizon at the time of sunset.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. poetic Occurring in or related to the evening.
  2. adj. zoology Pertaining to animals which are principally active at dusk.
  3. adj. botany Pertaining to plants which open or bloom in the evening.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Of or pertaining to the evening; happening or being in the evening.
  2. adj. (Bot.) Blossoming in the evening.

Etymologies

  1. Latin vespertīnus (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin vespertīnus, from vesper, evening; see vesper. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The Halictidae is one of the four bee families that contains some species that are crepuscular; these halictids are active only at dusk or in the early evening, and therefore technically considered "vespertine".”

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]

  • “I cringed away from the man, from the way he looked at me—now patiently, as if encouraging a slow learner; now furiously; now with a pregnant, vespertine calm.”

    Simon & Schuster: Little Bee

  • “Sheols of houris in chems upon divans, (revolted stellas vespertine vesamong them) at a bare (O!) mention of the scaly rybald exclaimed: Poisse!”

    Finnegans Wake

  • “Entires armies were destroyed as they rested, for the evening was when the vespertine enemy was most cruel.”

    notes from the peanut gallery

  • “Whether they are matinal or vespertine, crepuscular animals are responding primarily to selection pressure.”

    The crepuscular life

  • “I bought 5 new cds since last entry - Bjork's vespertine, Jamiroquai's Funk Oddyssey, Ben Folds Suburbs, Orbitals 'Altogether and the new Stereolab.”

    fengh Diary Entry

  • “Also as admirably corrective of [393] chronic constipation through general intestinal sluggishness, a vespertine slice of good, old-fashioned Gingerbread made with brown treacle and grated ginger may be eaten with zest, and reliance.”

    Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure

  • “Odors from strong bacon and boiling coffee contended against the cut-plug fumes from the vespertine pipe.”

    The Trimmed Lamp, and other Stories of the Four Million

  • “Up Broadway Chandler moved with the vespertine dress parade.”

    The Four Million

  • “[23] While this book is passing through the press (April 30th, 1885) I am privileged with another sight and sound of the woodcock's vespertine performance, and under peculiarly favorable conditions.”

    Birds in the Bush

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reverse dictionary (4)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. vespertinal
  1. evening primrose
  1. umbral
  1. vespertine

tags (5)

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  1. night
  1. evening
  1. astronomy
  1. etc
  1. cvccvccvcv

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Comments

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  • super-clarice vespertine is a beautiful word

    thanks for posting May 6, 2009

  • chained_bear "Vespertine, in astronomy, is when a planet is descending to the west after sun-set, or shines as an evening star."
    —Falconer's New Universal Dictionary of the Marine (1816), 600 Oct 12, 2008

  • vanishedone The grey definitions are supplied by WordNet, and vespertine appears not to be in their database. Aug 18, 2008

  • bookhling I wonder why the definition for vespertine doesn't show up on the wordie page. Aug 18, 2008

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‘vespertine’ has been looked up 3866 times, loved by 40 people, added to 108 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 15.