In the Soliloquy lexicon
gloaming
Twilight; the time of day after sunset when the light is fading.
Used in a sentence
They walked home through the gloaming.
Where it comes from
From Old English glōm ‘twilight, gloom,’ akin to Old Norse glǫm ‘twilight’ and ultimately a Germanic root meaning ‘dim light.’
Its journey
Gloaming was born in Old English as glōmung, meaning twilight, probably formed from glōwan, “to glow,” with a noun-making ending. It lingered especially in Scots and northern speech, then entered wider literary English in the sixteenth century, keeping its image of the day’s last glow fading into night.
A small story
At the gate, Mrs Vale paused with her empty basket, listening for the last train beyond the fields. The gloaming gathered in the hedges, softening the path she had meant to mend before winter. From the cottage window came the small, steadfast sound of someone laying another place at table.
Nearby words
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