Gloam

/ɡloʊm/ noun

Definition

The twilight period between day and night; the dusk or early evening when daylight is fading.

Etymology

From Old English glomung (twilight, gloaming) related to Old Norse glaumr. The word has Germanic roots possibly connected to 'glow' and describes that golden hour of transition.

Kelly Says

English has surprisingly few words for twilight compared to other languages—Swedish has 'skymning' and Irish has 'foluain.' Gloam is one of our oldest and most poetic options, yet most English speakers have never heard it. Tolkien used it in The Hobbit to make Middle-earth feel ancient.

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