crepusculum

English

Etymology

From Latin crepusculum.

Noun

crepusculum (uncountable)

1. crepuscule; twilight; dusk

   [Earthshine] should appear more splendid and be visible after the crepusculum in the dark of night.

Synonyms

• cockshut, mirkning, nightfall; see also Thesaurus:dusk

Related terms

• crepuscular

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “crepusculum”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Latin

Etymology

Diminutive of the neuter s-stem *crepus. See creper.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kreˈpus.ku.lum/, [krɛˈpʊs̠kʊɫ̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kreˈpus.ku.lum/, [kreˈpuskulum]

Noun

crepusculum n (genitive crepusculī); second declension

1. twilight, dusk
2. darkness

Usage notes

In Medieval use (e.g., Bede), sometimes conceived as a particular period of evening lasting from sunset to vespers, the darker period of twilight when Venus and the stars began to appear.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	crepusculum	crepuscula
Genitive	crepusculī	crepusculōrum
Dative	crepusculō	crepusculīs
Accusative	crepusculum	crepuscula
Ablative	crepusculō	crepusculīs
Vocative	crepusculum	crepuscula

Related terms

• creper
• creperum

Descendants

• Catalan: crepuscle
• English: crepuscule, crepusculum, crepuscular
• French: crépuscule
• Galician: crepúsculo
• Italian: crepuscolo
• Occitan: crepuscul
• Portuguese: crepúsculo
• Romanian: crepuscul
• Spanish: crepúsculo

References

• “crepusculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “crepusculum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• crepusculum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• crepusculum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.