nightcap
nightcap Lexical Profile
nightcap Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An alcoholic or warm beverage consumed shortly before going to bed.
"After the dinner party ended, the hosts offered their guests a quiet nightcap by the fireplace."
A soft, warm cloth cap historically worn in bed to keep the head warm while sleeping.
"In the nineteenth-century illustration, the elderly gentleman wore a flannel gown and a pointed white nightcap."
North American The final game or race of a day's sporting event, especially the second game of a baseball doubleheader.
"After losing the afternoon opener, the home team rallied to win the nightcap in extra innings."
• Rhymes for nightcap
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English as a compound of 'night' and 'cap', originally denoting a warm cloth cap worn in bed before central heating existed. The sense of a bedtime alcoholic drink emerged in the early 19th century as a playful metaphor for the last item put on before going to sleep.