vespertine
- Of, relating to, or occurring in the evening.
- In biology, active or blooming during the evening hours.
In a sentence
- The vespertine light cast long amber shadows across the meadow as the sun dipped below the hills.
- Several vespertine moth species begin their courtship flights only after dusk has fully settled.
Usage note. Do not confuse 'vespertine' with 'crepuscular'; crepuscular refers to both dawn and dusk, while vespertine is specifically evening.
Where it comes from
English vespertine — “of the evening” · entered English 15th c.
From Latin 'vespertinus', meaning 'of the evening', derived from 'vesper' meaning 'evening star' or 'evening'. The Latin 'vesper' is cognate with Greek 'hesperos'. The word entered English in the 15th century, chiefly in literary and scientific contexts.