night rail

noun

archaic

Word History

Etymology

night entry 1 + rail "loose outer garment worn by women, scarf, shawl," going back to Middle English reyel, reil "garment," going back to Old English hrægl, hregl "cloak, garment," going back to Germanic *hregil-, *hregul- (whence also Old Frisian hreil "garment," Old High German hregil "garment, armor"), probably from an accentual variant of *hrehula- "device for holding or separating yarn" — more at reel entry 1

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of night rail was in 1552

Dictionary Entries Near night rail

Cite this Entry

“Night rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night%20rail. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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