gloaming

Gloaming is a noun that refers to twilight—the period of fading light after sunset or, less commonly, before sunrise. In everyday English it is especially associated with the soft, diffuse illumination characteristic of the early evening or late dusk.

It is most familiar in Scottish and Northern English speech, though understood in broader English. The etymology is old and somewhat uncertain; the word appears in medieval and early modern Scots and English texts, and it is conceptually linked to the transition from light to darkness rather than to a precise astronomical phase.

Gloaming is commonly used in literature, poetry, and song to evoke mood, reflection, or romance, as well as the boundary between day and night. The term has also been adopted as a title or name in various works and groups, reflecting its suggestive connotations of quiet and transition.

In contemporary usage, gloaming remains a poetic alternative to "twilight" or "dusk" and is often employed to convey atmosphere in prose and conversation. Its cultural associations tend toward calm, contemplative scenes and the softer light of evening.

See also: twilight, dusk, evening, nightfall.