nighthawk
nighthawk Lexical Profile
nighthawk Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who is habitually active or awake late at night.
"As a natural nighthawk, the programmer found her most productive coding hours were between midnight and dawn."
North American A nocturnal or crepuscular insectivorous bird of the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae), native primarily to the Americas, characterized by long, pointed wings and a distinctive booming courtship dive.
"As dusk settled over the prairie, a nighthawk swooped low over the fields to catch flying insects."
Word Nuance & Usage
Despite its name, the nighthawk is not a true hawk; it is an insectivorous nightjar, lacking the hooked beak and talons of birds of prey.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 17th century in American English by combining 'night' and 'hawk', originally referencing the bird's darting, hawk-like flight at dusk. The figurative use describing a person who stays up late emerged in the 19th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.