See night owl in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for night owl meaning in English (19.2kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "night"
},
"expansion": "night",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "owl"
},
"expansion": "owl",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From night + owl, from the fact that the bird is active at night.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "night owls",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "night owl (plural night owls)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1783, Ben Jonson, [Francis Godolphin Waldron], The Sad Shepherd: Or, A Tale of Robin Hood, a Fragment, … With a Continuation, Notes, and an Appendix, London: Printed for J[ohn] Nichols, […]; and sold by C[harles] Dilly, […], →OCLC, act V, page 98",
"text": "A night owl beat her pinions 'gainſt my head, / 'Till o' the ground I fell, wi' fright near dead!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1840 February, “Caliph Chasid. An Eastern Tale.”, in [Margaret de Courcy and Beatrice de Courcy], editors, The Ladies’ Cabinet of Fashion, Music, and Romance, volume III, London: G. Henderson, →OCLC, chapter III, page 74",
"text": "In the ruined chamber, which was but scantily lighted by a small grated window, he perceived a large night owl, seated upon the floor. Big tears rolled from her large, brown eyes, and with a hoarse voice she sent forth her lamentations from her curved beak.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1867, Fadette [pseudonym; Marian Calhoun Legare Reeves], chapter VI, in Ingemisco, New York, N.Y.: Blelock & Co., […], →OCLC, page 99",
"text": "Wild waileth the night-wind through turret and hall, / Where the spider weaveth the funeral pall, / And voice of old from the dead Past call, / While the night-owl responds from the crumbling old wall, / Tu-whit! the midnight is murky and drear— / Tu-whoo! the deed is a deed of fear.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1873, Leigh Hunt, “No. III. Piccadilly and the West End.”, in J[oseph] E[dward] B[abson], editor, The Wishing-cap Papers. … Now First Collected, Boston, Mass.: Lee and Shepard, publishers; New York, N.Y.: Lee, Shepard and Dillingham, →OCLC, page 41",
"text": "There we should have waked the night-owl with a catch, had an owl been within hearing. The watchman did instead.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1926, Sven Hedin, “Robinson Crusoe”, in [Alfhild Huebsch], transl., My Life as an Explorer, London, New York, N.Y.: Cassell and Company, →OCLC, page 142",
"text": "From time to time, I called \"Kasim!\" at the top of my voice. But the sound died away among the tree-trunks; and I got no answer but the \"clevitt\" of a frightened night-owl.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2004, Priscilla Heath Barnum, “Explanatory Notes [Commandment IV]”, in Dives and Pauper, volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Published for the Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, page 141",
"text": "In his discussion of this psalm [Psalm 101], Augustine [of Hippo] elaborates an allegory in which the three birds, the pelican, the night owl ('nycticorax') and the sparrow ('passer'), represent three aspects of, or stages in, the earthly life of Christ. The pelican represents his solitary birth and upbringing, the night owl his agony before and during the crucifixion, and the sparrow his resurrection.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An owl (order Strigiformes) that is nocturnal."
],
"id": "en-night_owl-en-noun-7fJmMig7",
"links": [
[
"owl",
"owl"
],
[
"order",
"order#Noun"
],
[
"Strigiformes",
"Strigiformes#Translingual"
],
[
"nocturnal",
"nocturnal"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(literally) An owl (order Strigiformes) that is nocturnal."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "54 21 25",
"word": "night-owl"
}
],
"tags": [
"literally"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtuil"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "schuifuil"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "schuifuit"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"word": "yöpöllö"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "noctua"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "cailleach-oidhche"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 14 21",
"code": "jiv",
"lang": "Shuar",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"word": "ampush"
}
]
},
{
"antonyms": [
{
"word": "day lark"
},
{
"word": "early bird"
},
{
"word": "lark"
},
{
"word": "morning person"
}
],
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "1 64 35",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "People",
"orig": "en:People",
"parents": [
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1949 May, J. W. Hill, “Selling Rail Transportation”, in T. J. Zirbes, Jr., editor, Rock Island Lines News Digest, volume VIII, number 5, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, →OCLC, page 8, column 1",
"text": "It has been said the perfect transportation salesman must be: \"A man of vision and ambition; an after dinner speaker; before and after dinner goodfellow; he must work all day; be a night owl and still appear fresh the next day; [...\"]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1980, Marsha Norman, Third and Oak: The Laundromat: A Play in One Act, New York, N.Y.: Dramatists Play Service, →OCLC, page 5",
"text": "And that's all for tonight, night owls. This is your Number-One-Night Owl saying it's 3 o'clock, all right, and time to rock your daddy to dreams of delight. And Mama, I'm comin' home. And the rest of you night owls gonna have to make it through the rest of the night by yourself, or with the help of your friends, if you know what I mean.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2005, J. E. Dugas, “Tough Luck”, in Twisted Delirium: The Infinite Dream: A Novel, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, page 115",
"text": "[H]e could make out the figure of a fellow weary eyed night owl standing one space in front of him. [...] He scooted an extra step forward, one and a half cordoned spaces from the counter, but snapped back to his unpleasantly boring reality, empty of enchanting night owls or hopes to be.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2006, Barack Obama, “Family”, in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, page 338",
"text": "Michelle [Obama] liked to wake up early and could barely keep her eyes open after ten o'clock. I was a night owl and could be a bit grumpy (mean, Michelle would say) within the first half hour or so of getting out of bed.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, Martin Reite, Michael Weissberg, John Ruddy, “Appendix 2: Patient Handouts”, in Clinical Manual for Evaluation and Treatment of Sleep Disorders, Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Publishing, page 345",
"text": "Night owls are least alert in the morning, most alert at night. This creates problems at work and at school. When night owls try to sleep at socially acceptable times, they have a hard time falling asleep and complain of insomnia.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Roz Denny Fox [pseudonym; Rosaline Fox], chapter 3, in Duke: Deputy Cowboy (Harlequin American Romance), Don Mills, Ont.: Harlequin Enterprises, page 49",
"text": "The thieves know this area. They're night owls. And they're growing bolder.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"One who goes to bed late, or stays up late at night or in the early hours of the morning."
],
"id": "en-night_owl-en-noun-IxFqquu0",
"links": [
[
"bed",
"bed#Noun"
],
[
"late",
"late"
],
[
"stays up",
"stay up"
],
[
"night",
"night"
],
[
"early",
"early"
],
[
"hour",
"hour"
],
[
"morning",
"morning"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) One who goes to bed late, or stays up late at night or in the early hours of the morning."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nighthawk"
},
{
"word": "night person"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "af",
"english": "night owl",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "naguil"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "af",
"english": "night wolf",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "nagwolf"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "af",
"english": "night walker",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "naglooper"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "nóštna ptíca",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "но́щна пти́ца"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "talasǎ́m",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"masculine"
],
"word": "таласъ́м"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜貓"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ maau¹",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜猫"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜遊神"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ jau⁴ san⁴",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜游神"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ gwai²",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜鬼"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "nan-hbl",
"lang": "Chinese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Hokkien"
],
"word": "暗光鳥"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "nan-hbl",
"lang": "Chinese",
"roman": "zh-min-nan",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Hokkien"
],
"word": "暗光鸟"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜貓子"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "yè māozi",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜猫子"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noční pták"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "natteravn"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtuil"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "avondmens"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtbraker"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noktulo"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noktovagulo"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fo",
"lang": "Faroese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "náttarravnur"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "iltavirkku"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "yöihminen"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "yökyöpeli"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "couche-tard"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctambule"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "oiseau de nuit"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Nachteule"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Nachtschwärmer"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"plural"
],
"word": "Nachtmensch"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "nychterinós týpos",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "νυχτερινός τύπος"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "nychtopoúli",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine",
"neuter"
],
"word": "νυχτοπούλι"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "xenýchtis",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "ξενύχτης"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "éjjeli bagoly"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nátthrafn"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nottambulo"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nottolone"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"alt": "よふかし",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yofukashi",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜更かし"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"alt": "よいっぱり",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yoippari",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "宵っ張り"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"alt": "よいっぱり",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yoippari",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "宵っぱり"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"alt": "よるがた",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yorugata",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜型"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "nocny marek"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "coruja"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctâmbulo"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctívago"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "polunóčnik",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "полуно́чник"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "sová",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "сова́"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "falbhanaiche na h-oidhche"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Cyrillic"
],
"word": "ноћна птица"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Latin"
],
"word": "noćna ptica"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "ave nocturna"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctámbulo"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noctívago"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "trasnochador"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "nattuggla"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 58 39",
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "cú đêm"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Musical instruments",
"orig": "en:Musical instruments",
"parents": [
"Music",
"Tools",
"Art",
"Sound",
"Technology",
"Culture",
"Energy",
"All topics",
"Society",
"Nature",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "18 33 50",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
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"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "9 29 61",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "13 34 52",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 30 46",
"kind": "lifeform",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Owls",
"orig": "en:Owls",
"parents": [
"Birds of prey",
"Birds",
"Vertebrates",
"Chordates",
"Animals",
"Lifeforms",
"All topics",
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"source": "w+disamb"
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1874 May, James Judson Lord, “Haydn’s Children’s Symphony [actually the Toy Symphony, possibly by Leopold Mozart or Edmund Angerer]”, in [Mary Mapes Dodge], editor, St. Nicholas, volume I, number 7, New York, N.Y.: Scribner & Co., →OCLC, page 429, column 2",
"text": "The night-owl,—a mug-shaped instrument, with an orifice in its side, through which a whistle is inserted,—when used, is partly filled with water, to give the tremulous owl-hoot sound.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1889, Charles Barnard, chapter VI, in The Tone Masters: A Musical Series for Young People, Boston, Mass.: New England Conservatory of Music, →OCLC, book I (Mozart and Mendelssohn), pages 189–190",
"text": "At the right was the piano, with a young lady seated, ready to play. Just before the curtain, and arranged in a semicircle, sat the juvenile orchestra,—Kitty with a tin trumpet; Jane with her night-owl filled with water and ready to pipe up; Julia with another bird, but having a different note; John with his drum, and Edward with his trumpet.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A musical instrument which imitates an owl's hoot, consisting of a receptacle partly filled with water and a mouthpiece that is blown into."
],
"id": "en-night_owl-en-noun-Zqa2Etgq",
"links": [
[
"music",
"music"
],
[
"musical instrument",
"musical instrument"
],
[
"imitate",
"imitate"
],
[
"hoot",
"hoot#Noun"
],
[
"consist",
"consist"
],
[
"receptacle",
"receptacle"
],
[
"filled",
"fill#Verb"
],
[
"water",
"water#Noun"
],
[
"mouthpiece",
"mouthpiece"
],
[
"blown",
"blow#Verb"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(music) A musical instrument which imitates an owl's hoot, consisting of a receptacle partly filled with water and a mouthpiece that is blown into."
],
"topics": [
"entertainment",
"lifestyle",
"music"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnaɪt aʊl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnaɪt ˌaʊl/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-au-night owl.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4c/En-au-night_owl.ogg/En-au-night_owl.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/En-au-night_owl.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "night owl"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"en:Owls",
"en:People"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "night"
},
"expansion": "night",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "owl"
},
"expansion": "owl",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From night + owl, from the fact that the bird is active at night.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "night owls",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "night owl (plural night owls)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1783, Ben Jonson, [Francis Godolphin Waldron], The Sad Shepherd: Or, A Tale of Robin Hood, a Fragment, … With a Continuation, Notes, and an Appendix, London: Printed for J[ohn] Nichols, […]; and sold by C[harles] Dilly, […], →OCLC, act V, page 98",
"text": "A night owl beat her pinions 'gainſt my head, / 'Till o' the ground I fell, wi' fright near dead!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1840 February, “Caliph Chasid. An Eastern Tale.”, in [Margaret de Courcy and Beatrice de Courcy], editors, The Ladies’ Cabinet of Fashion, Music, and Romance, volume III, London: G. Henderson, →OCLC, chapter III, page 74",
"text": "In the ruined chamber, which was but scantily lighted by a small grated window, he perceived a large night owl, seated upon the floor. Big tears rolled from her large, brown eyes, and with a hoarse voice she sent forth her lamentations from her curved beak.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1867, Fadette [pseudonym; Marian Calhoun Legare Reeves], chapter VI, in Ingemisco, New York, N.Y.: Blelock & Co., […], →OCLC, page 99",
"text": "Wild waileth the night-wind through turret and hall, / Where the spider weaveth the funeral pall, / And voice of old from the dead Past call, / While the night-owl responds from the crumbling old wall, / Tu-whit! the midnight is murky and drear— / Tu-whoo! the deed is a deed of fear.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1873, Leigh Hunt, “No. III. Piccadilly and the West End.”, in J[oseph] E[dward] B[abson], editor, The Wishing-cap Papers. … Now First Collected, Boston, Mass.: Lee and Shepard, publishers; New York, N.Y.: Lee, Shepard and Dillingham, →OCLC, page 41",
"text": "There we should have waked the night-owl with a catch, had an owl been within hearing. The watchman did instead.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1926, Sven Hedin, “Robinson Crusoe”, in [Alfhild Huebsch], transl., My Life as an Explorer, London, New York, N.Y.: Cassell and Company, →OCLC, page 142",
"text": "From time to time, I called \"Kasim!\" at the top of my voice. But the sound died away among the tree-trunks; and I got no answer but the \"clevitt\" of a frightened night-owl.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2004, Priscilla Heath Barnum, “Explanatory Notes [Commandment IV]”, in Dives and Pauper, volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Published for the Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, page 141",
"text": "In his discussion of this psalm [Psalm 101], Augustine [of Hippo] elaborates an allegory in which the three birds, the pelican, the night owl ('nycticorax') and the sparrow ('passer'), represent three aspects of, or stages in, the earthly life of Christ. The pelican represents his solitary birth and upbringing, the night owl his agony before and during the crucifixion, and the sparrow his resurrection.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An owl (order Strigiformes) that is nocturnal."
],
"links": [
[
"owl",
"owl"
],
[
"order",
"order#Noun"
],
[
"Strigiformes",
"Strigiformes#Translingual"
],
[
"nocturnal",
"nocturnal"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(literally) An owl (order Strigiformes) that is nocturnal."
],
"tags": [
"literally"
]
},
{
"antonyms": [
{
"word": "day lark"
},
{
"word": "early bird"
},
{
"word": "lark"
},
{
"word": "morning person"
}
],
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1949 May, J. W. Hill, “Selling Rail Transportation”, in T. J. Zirbes, Jr., editor, Rock Island Lines News Digest, volume VIII, number 5, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, →OCLC, page 8, column 1",
"text": "It has been said the perfect transportation salesman must be: \"A man of vision and ambition; an after dinner speaker; before and after dinner goodfellow; he must work all day; be a night owl and still appear fresh the next day; [...\"]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1980, Marsha Norman, Third and Oak: The Laundromat: A Play in One Act, New York, N.Y.: Dramatists Play Service, →OCLC, page 5",
"text": "And that's all for tonight, night owls. This is your Number-One-Night Owl saying it's 3 o'clock, all right, and time to rock your daddy to dreams of delight. And Mama, I'm comin' home. And the rest of you night owls gonna have to make it through the rest of the night by yourself, or with the help of your friends, if you know what I mean.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2005, J. E. Dugas, “Tough Luck”, in Twisted Delirium: The Infinite Dream: A Novel, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, page 115",
"text": "[H]e could make out the figure of a fellow weary eyed night owl standing one space in front of him. [...] He scooted an extra step forward, one and a half cordoned spaces from the counter, but snapped back to his unpleasantly boring reality, empty of enchanting night owls or hopes to be.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2006, Barack Obama, “Family”, in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, page 338",
"text": "Michelle [Obama] liked to wake up early and could barely keep her eyes open after ten o'clock. I was a night owl and could be a bit grumpy (mean, Michelle would say) within the first half hour or so of getting out of bed.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, Martin Reite, Michael Weissberg, John Ruddy, “Appendix 2: Patient Handouts”, in Clinical Manual for Evaluation and Treatment of Sleep Disorders, Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Publishing, page 345",
"text": "Night owls are least alert in the morning, most alert at night. This creates problems at work and at school. When night owls try to sleep at socially acceptable times, they have a hard time falling asleep and complain of insomnia.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Roz Denny Fox [pseudonym; Rosaline Fox], chapter 3, in Duke: Deputy Cowboy (Harlequin American Romance), Don Mills, Ont.: Harlequin Enterprises, page 49",
"text": "The thieves know this area. They're night owls. And they're growing bolder.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"One who goes to bed late, or stays up late at night or in the early hours of the morning."
],
"links": [
[
"bed",
"bed#Noun"
],
[
"late",
"late"
],
[
"stays up",
"stay up"
],
[
"night",
"night"
],
[
"early",
"early"
],
[
"hour",
"hour"
],
[
"morning",
"morning"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) One who goes to bed late, or stays up late at night or in the early hours of the morning."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nighthawk"
},
{
"word": "night person"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Musical instruments"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1874 May, James Judson Lord, “Haydn’s Children’s Symphony [actually the Toy Symphony, possibly by Leopold Mozart or Edmund Angerer]”, in [Mary Mapes Dodge], editor, St. Nicholas, volume I, number 7, New York, N.Y.: Scribner & Co., →OCLC, page 429, column 2",
"text": "The night-owl,—a mug-shaped instrument, with an orifice in its side, through which a whistle is inserted,—when used, is partly filled with water, to give the tremulous owl-hoot sound.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1889, Charles Barnard, chapter VI, in The Tone Masters: A Musical Series for Young People, Boston, Mass.: New England Conservatory of Music, →OCLC, book I (Mozart and Mendelssohn), pages 189–190",
"text": "At the right was the piano, with a young lady seated, ready to play. Just before the curtain, and arranged in a semicircle, sat the juvenile orchestra,—Kitty with a tin trumpet; Jane with her night-owl filled with water and ready to pipe up; Julia with another bird, but having a different note; John with his drum, and Edward with his trumpet.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A musical instrument which imitates an owl's hoot, consisting of a receptacle partly filled with water and a mouthpiece that is blown into."
],
"links": [
[
"music",
"music"
],
[
"musical instrument",
"musical instrument"
],
[
"imitate",
"imitate"
],
[
"hoot",
"hoot#Noun"
],
[
"consist",
"consist"
],
[
"receptacle",
"receptacle"
],
[
"filled",
"fill#Verb"
],
[
"water",
"water#Noun"
],
[
"mouthpiece",
"mouthpiece"
],
[
"blown",
"blow#Verb"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(music) A musical instrument which imitates an owl's hoot, consisting of a receptacle partly filled with water and a mouthpiece that is blown into."
],
"topics": [
"entertainment",
"lifestyle",
"music"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnaɪt aʊl/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnaɪt ˌaʊl/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-au-night owl.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4c/En-au-night_owl.ogg/En-au-night_owl.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/En-au-night_owl.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "night-owl"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtuil"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "schuifuil"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "schuifuit"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"word": "yöpöllö"
},
{
"code": "la",
"lang": "Latin",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "noctua"
},
{
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "cailleach-oidhche"
},
{
"code": "jiv",
"lang": "Shuar",
"sense": "nocturnal owl",
"word": "ampush"
},
{
"code": "af",
"english": "night owl",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "naguil"
},
{
"code": "af",
"english": "night wolf",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "nagwolf"
},
{
"code": "af",
"english": "night walker",
"lang": "Afrikaans",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "naglooper"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "nóštna ptíca",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "но́щна пти́ца"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "talasǎ́m",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"masculine"
],
"word": "таласъ́м"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜貓"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ maau¹",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜猫"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜遊神"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ jau⁴ san⁴",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜游神"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "je⁶ gwai²",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜鬼"
},
{
"code": "nan-hbl",
"lang": "Chinese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Hokkien"
],
"word": "暗光鳥"
},
{
"code": "nan-hbl",
"lang": "Chinese",
"roman": "zh-min-nan",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Hokkien"
],
"word": "暗光鸟"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜貓子"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "yè māozi",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜猫子"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noční pták"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "natteravn"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtuil"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "avondmens"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nachtbraker"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noktulo"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noktovagulo"
},
{
"code": "fo",
"lang": "Faroese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "náttarravnur"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "iltavirkku"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "yöihminen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "yökyöpeli"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "couche-tard"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctambule"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "oiseau de nuit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Nachteule"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Nachtschwärmer"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"plural"
],
"word": "Nachtmensch"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "nychterinós týpos",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "νυχτερινός τύπος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "nychtopoúli",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine",
"neuter"
],
"word": "νυχτοπούλι"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "xenýchtis",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "ξενύχτης"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "éjjeli bagoly"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nátthrafn"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nottambulo"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nottolone"
},
{
"alt": "よふかし",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yofukashi",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜更かし"
},
{
"alt": "よいっぱり",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yoippari",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "宵っ張り"
},
{
"alt": "よいっぱり",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yoippari",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "宵っぱり"
},
{
"alt": "よるがた",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "yorugata",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "夜型"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "nocny marek"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "coruja"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctâmbulo"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctívago"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "polunóčnik",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "полуно́чник"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "sová",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "сова́"
},
{
"code": "gd",
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "falbhanaiche na h-oidhche"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Cyrillic"
],
"word": "ноћна птица"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"Latin"
],
"word": "noćna ptica"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "ave nocturna"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "noctámbulo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "noctívago"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "trasnochador"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "nattuggla"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "one who is awake at night",
"word": "cú đêm"
}
],
"word": "night owl"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.