nocturne

noun

noc·​turne ˈnäk-ˌtərn 

: a work of art dealing with evening or night

especially : a dreamy pensive composition for the piano compare aubade sense 3

Examples of nocturne in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the lights in the room dimmed, and a twinkling Chopin nocturne piped softly from the speakers, a model in one of Browne’s short suits began slowly walking laps around the room, occasionally pausing to check his watch. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024

The Gershwin took a while to hit its stride and was never totally immune to stalling, but the hazy urban nocturne of the second movement was a high point. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2023

The allure of night is one of the great cultural discoveries of the Romantic era, with its twilight landscapes and piano nocturnes, and Eklöf’s book is, sometimes knowingly and sometimes not, a Romantic one. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023

Saturday’s concert pairs the Chopin with two barcarolles and a nocturne by Fauré. —oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, noun derivative of nocturne "of the night," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin nocturnus — more at nocturnal

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nocturne

noun

noc·​turne ˈnäk-ˌtərn 

: a work of art dealing with evening or night

especially : a dreamy composition for the piano