benight

transitive verb

be·​night

bi-ˈnīt,

bē-

-ed/-ing/-s

1

: to overtake by darkness or night especially before the end of a journey

—usually used in the passive

there was no fear of our being benighted, for in Norway at this season it never gets dark

—Frances Pitt

2

: to envelop in intellectual, moral, or social darkness

what men … call religion now benighting half the earth

—John Wilson †1854

—usually used in the passive

3

: to make dark especially by depriving of light : obscure

the cliffs were so high that the bay itself was already benighted

—Clemence Dane

Word History

Etymology

be- + night, noun

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