nightwalker
nightwalker Lexical Profile
nightwalker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A large common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) belonging to the family Lumbricidae, native to Europe and widely naturalized in North America, that emerges from the soil at night to feed and is commonly gathered for fishing bait.
"The anglers went out onto the damp lawn with flashlights to collect a bucket of nightwalkers before their morning fishing trip."
A person who walks about at night, whether out of habit, insomnia, or in a state of sleepwalking.
"As a lifelong insomniac and habitual nightwalker, he knew every quiet alley of the city after midnight."
A person who prowls or roams the streets at night for illicit purposes, such as a thief or a prostitute (now chiefly historical or archaic).
"Seventeenth-century parish constables were instructed to arrest any suspicious nightwalker found loitering near the docks after curfew."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Attested since Middle English (c. 1400) as 'niht-walkere', formed from 'night' and 'walker', originally used in English law for a person who roamed the streets after curfew with suspicious or criminal intent.