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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

eve en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From a variant of the Middle English noun even (itself from Old English ǣfen), with a pre-1200 loss of the terminal '-n', which was mistaken for an inflection. See also the now archaic or poetic even (“evening”), from the same source. In medieval Europe, days were considered to extend from sunset to sunset rather than midnight to midnight, so the night before a holiday was considered part of it, hence its "eve".

Meanings

  1. The day or night before, usually used for holidays, such as Christmas Eve.
    • She died on the eve of her 100th birthday.
  2. (archaic, poetic) Evening, night.
    • I love to see the shaking twig / Dance till the shut of eve Mid-19th century, John Clare, Autumn:
    • And has she tired of weeping / As she lies down at eve. 1896, A[lfred] E[dward] Housman, chapter XXVII, in A Shropshire Lad, lines 42–43:
    • on a cold winter's eve.
    • Sitting on the dockside at Oban, watching the to-ing and fro-ing in the harbour on a perfect summer's eve, I reflect on a trip which has taken me through our busiest cities to traverse the country's main lines, as well as explore some of the furthest extremities that were literally out on a limb. 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 79:
  3. (figuratively) The period of time when something is just about to happen or to be introduced
    • the eve of a scientific discovery

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
eves Number=Plur lexicographic

Antonyms

evening · winter

Deriveds

good eve · evelight · evetime · All Hallows' Eve · yestereve · evejar · evetide

Relateds

even · evening

Synonyms

forenight · eventide · een (evening)

Translations (66)

es trasnochada (day or night before) · ro ajun (day or night before) · la vesper (day or night before) · cmn 前夜 (day or night before) · hy նախօրե (day or night before) · ru преддве́рие (period of time when something is about to happen) · ca vigília (day or night before) · sh predvečerje (day or night before) · pl wigilia (day or night before) · fur vilie (day or night before) · he עֶרֶב (day or night before) · vo büsoar (day or night before) · sq prag (day or night before) · cs předvečer (day or night before) · sh предвече (day or night before) · uk передде́нь (day or night before) · lv priekšvakars (day or night before) · lad arba (day or night before) · tr akşam (day or night before) · bg навечерие (day or night before) · es vigilia (day or night before) · gl véspera (day or night before) · pms vigilia (day or night before) · fr veille (day or night before) · es víspera (day or night before) · pl przeddzień (day or night before) · pt véspera (day or night before) · nb aften (day or night before) · lt i̇̀švakarės (day or night before) · sh predveče (day or night before) · it vigilia (day or night before) · sv afton (day or night before) · izh aatto (day or night before) · ru кану́н (period of time when something is about to happen) · mt lejliet (day or night before) · lij vigília (day or night before) · lld vea (day or night before) · fi aatto (day or night before) · az ərəfə (day or night before) · ja 前夜 (day or night before) · sq pragu (period of time when something is about to happen) · nl vooravond (day or night before) · ru кану́н (day or night before) · az ərəfə (period of time when something is about to happen) · sh предвечерје (day or night before) · ur رات (day or night before) · lld ueia (day or night before) · hy նախօրյակ (day or night before) · eo antaŭvespero (day or night before) · ro preziuă (day or night before) · cmn 前夕 (day or night before) · ga oíche cheann féile (day or night before) · az qabaq (day or night before) · az qabaq (period of time when something is about to happen) · lld vëia (day or night before) · ms ambang (period of time when something is about to happen) · el παραμονή (day or night before) · ga oíche (day or night before) · hu előeste (day or night before) · tr arefe (day or night before) · tl bisperas (day or night before) · hy ճրագալույց (day or night before) · lmo vigília (day or night before) · nl vigilie (day or night before) · de Vorabend (day or night before) · ang ǣfen (day or night before)