moonlight
Meanings
- The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it.
- The silvery colour of the light reflected by the Moon.
- Synonym of moonshine (“illegally produced or smuggled spirits”).
- Chiefly in to do a moonlight: short for moonlight flit (“an act of secretly leaving premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon; hence, any act of escaping at night”).
- A picture of a scene illuminated by light reflected by the Moon.
- A journey made at night when the Moon is shining.
- An oratorical competition; also, a participant in such a competition.
- To do a moonlight flit: to secretly leave premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon.
- To make a night-time attack on a tenant farmer not supporting the policies of the Irish National Land League.
- To do work for pay (sometimes illegally, secretly, or without paying income tax on the earnings) which is in addition to a main job, often in the evening or at night.
- To engage in an activity other than what one is known for.
- Of a thing: to perform a secondary function substantially different from a supposed primary function.
- Of a tenant farmer: to be attacked for not supporting the policies of the Irish National Land League.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s Proto-Germanic *mēnô Proto-West Germanic *mānō Old English mōna Middle English mone Proto-Indo-European *lewk-der. Proto-Germanic *leuhtaz Proto-West Germanic *leuht Old English lēoht Middle English light Middle English moonelight English moonlight The noun is derived from Middle English moonelight, monelight, mone lyght (“light of the moon; (heraldry) pattern of moons on the field of a heraldic banner”), from mon, mone (“moon”) (from Old English mōna (“moon”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s (“moon; month”)) + light (“light”) (from Old English lēoht (“light”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”)). By surface analysis, moon + light. The verb is derived from the noun. Verb sense 1.1 (“to secretly leave premises without paying the rent”) is a back-formation from moonlight flit, while verb sense 1.2 (“to make a night-time attack on a tenant farmer”) is probably a back-formation from moonlighter. cognates * Dutch maanlicht * German Mondlicht * Scots muinlicht, munelicht * West Frisian moanneljocht