NIGHT

, that part of the natural day, during which the sun is below the horizon: though sometimes it is understood that the twilight is referred to the day, or time the sun is above the horizon; the remainder only being the Night.

Under the equator, the Nights, in the former sense, are always equal to the days; each being 12 hours long. But under the poles, the Night continues half a year. —The ancient Gauls and Germans divided their time not by days, but Nights; as appears from Cæsar and Tacitus; also the Arabs and the Icelanders do the same. The same may also be observed of our Saxon ancestors: whence our custom of saying, Sevennight, Fortnight, &c.