We call it dusk or twilight, but recently a student in my class referred to that time as gloaming. Although I have read it in poems and historical prose, and I knew it was an English word, I looked up the definition to see where it came from originally.
Here is the definition.
If "gloaming" makes you think of tartans and bagpipes, well lads and lasses, you've got a good ear and a good eye; we picked up "gloaming" from the Scottish dialects of English back in the Middle Ages.
The roots of the word trace to the Old English word for twilight, "glōm," which is akin to "glōwan," an Old English verb meaning "to glow." In the early 1800s, English speakers looked to Scotland again and borrowed the now-archaic verb gloam, meaning "to become twilight" or "to grow dark."
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| The sun has set and left its glow in the gloaming on the farm in southwest Georgia |
I like the reference to glowing which is what I see at that time of day. Here in the mountains, the sun drops behind the peaks and leaves its glow in the sky and over the earth. Sometimes that glow is breath-taking.
Let's bring back the word gloaming. I like the sound.
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| The glow on the lake at the gloaming |
On the farm in the flat lands of south Georgia, I remember walking west as the sun dropped behind the tall pine horizon. The gloaming was so powerful to me that I did not want to turn back. I walked until darkness fell around me.
What is your favorite time of day? What do you like to do at that time?
Thank you for giving me a new word today, as others keep leaking from my memory banks! :-)
ReplyDeleteI use all three.
ReplyDeleteWhatever its name it is one of my favourite times of day - with the other being dawn. I adore the soft light and the sound of birds waking up to their day.
I don't think I have a favorite time of day. I like the whole day as long as the weather is good.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting posting, Glenda. I've never heard this word, "gloaming." I've always said, "dusk." You learn something new everyday.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Djan and EC, for stopping by. I also love dawn, but seldom see it anymore. As a youth, I often awoke and sat on the front steps to watch the dawning of the day. The sun brightened the sky just over the large Oak tree in the yard of my brother, Rex. It was so still and quiet I wanted that time of day to last much longer.
ReplyDeleteDJan, let's bring back the word, gloaming.
Abbie, you are such a positive person. I love that. I like the whole day if it is not too hot outside. We are feeling a little fall in the air here in the Appalachians and I see some color in my yard.
ReplyDelete