The dawn or the first appearance of light in the morning; the breaking of day.
From Old English 'dæg' (day) and 'spring' (to rise, leap). The metaphor of day 'springing' or bursting forth appears in Biblical and poetic texts dating back to Old English.
Dayspring is one of those gorgeous archaic words that appears in the King James Bible—'the dayspring from on high'—and it perfectly captures how the sunrise seems to burst forth rather than gradually arrive!
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