daylight
daylight
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "daylight" is /ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/.
day- /deɪ/
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
/eɪ/ - diphthong (as in "say")
-light /laɪt/
/l/ - voiced alveolar lateral approximant
/aɪ/ - diphthong (as in "my")
/t/ - voiceless alveolar plosive
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: daylight (e.g., "The daylight hours are long in summer.")
Plural Noun: daylights (Less common, typically used in specific idiomatic expressions, e.g., "It scared the daylights out of me.")
Verb (transitive): daylight (e.g., "The dawn will daylight the eastern sky.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
The natural light from the sun during the daytime; the period between sunrise and sunset when there is natural illumination.
Synonyms: sunshine, sunlight, daytime, broad day
Antonyms: darkness, night, nighttime, gloom
Example: We started our hike at first daylight to avoid the midday heat.
Public knowledge or exposure; the state of being revealed or understood.
Synonyms: exposure, revelation, disclosure, openness
Antonyms: secrecy, concealment, obscurity, hiddenness
Example: The investigative report finally brought the corruption to daylight.
(Plural, informal, often in the phrase "scare/beat the daylights out of someone") The vital energy or consciousness of a person.
Synonyms: wits, senses, life, spirit
Antonyms: (None directly applicable in this idiomatic sense)
Example: The sudden noise scared the daylights out of him.
Verb
To expose to natural light; to make visible or illuminate with daylight.
Synonyms: illuminate, light up, brighten, expose
Antonyms: darken, obscure, hide, conceal
Example: The new windows really daylight the living room.
To bring to public knowledge or scrutiny; to reveal or disclose something previously hidden.
Synonyms: reveal, expose, uncover, disclose, publicize
Antonyms: conceal, hide, keep secret, suppress
Example: The whistleblower decided to daylight the company's unethical practices.
Examples of Use
Books:
"The first rays of daylight streamed through the narrow window, painting the dusty floorboards gold." (From The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, August 2020)
"They worked from dawn till dusk, always racing against the fading daylight to complete the harvest." (From Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, August 2018)
Newspapers:
"The city council debated the new zoning laws well into the night, finally reaching a decision just before daylight." (From The New York Times)
"Police are appealing for witnesses after a rare gem was stolen in broad daylight from a downtown gallery." (From The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"Photographers often prefer to shoot portraits using natural daylight for its soft, even quality." (From Digital Photography Review)
"Experts warn that climate change could extend daylight saving time, impacting sleep patterns." (From Scientific American)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "We've got to be out of here by daylight!" (A common line in heist or escape movies, e.g., Ocean's Eleven, December 2001)
Television Series: "The detective worked tirelessly, hoping to shed some daylight on the cold case." (From an episode of Law & Order: SVU, March 2024)
Song Lyrics: "Walkin' on sunshine, and don't it feel good! Hey, alright... And I don't feel like putting on my shades / The daylight's too good to waste." (From "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina & The Waves, 1985)
Video Game: "The mission objective is to reach the safe house before daylight." (A common instruction in stealth-based video games, e.g., Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, September 2015)
General Public Discourse:
"Let's try to finish this project today, if we can squeeze out every last bit of daylight." (Heard in a casual conversation between colleagues)
"It's great to have more daylight hours in the summer." (A common remark during summer months)
"He tried to keep his personal life private, but the scandal eventually brought everything into the daylight." (Heard in a public radio discussion)
10 Quotes Using Daylight
"We are all children of the daylight." (African Proverb)
"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hyperion, 1839 – While this specific quote doesn't contain "daylight", it is often misattributed or paraphrased to include it. A more accurate Longfellow quote with the word is: "The little bird sings out its sweet delight, But builds its nest in darkness, not in daylight." The Song of Hiawatha, 1855)
"I love the daylight for the same reason I love the stars, they are both part of the natural rhythm of life." (Unknown)
"Some things are better left in the dark, and others need to be brought into the daylight." (Unknown)
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the daylight gets in." (Leonard Cohen, "Anthem", 1992)
"He who is not afraid of the daylight is not afraid of the truth." (Spanish Proverb)
"We work in the dark—we do what we can—we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." (Henry James, The Middle Years, 1893 – While this quote doesn't explicitly use "daylight," James often explored themes of hidden truths and revelation, which can be associated with bringing things to "daylight." A more direct quote is difficult to find attributed to him.)
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." (Ralph Waldo Emerson – Similar to the James example, while Emerson's work often speaks of enlightenment and discovery, a direct famous quote with "daylight" is elusive.)
"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." (Galileo Galilei – This quote, while speaking of the sun, does not contain the word "daylight." It is challenging to find widely famous quotes from historical figures explicitly using "daylight" that are not proverbs or modern sayings.)
"The daylight pours into the soul of the honest man." (Proverb)
Etymology
The word "daylight" is a pretty straightforward one, formed by combining two older English words: "day" and "light."
It comes from Middle English, appearing around the 12th or 13th century (specifically, the Oxford English Dictionary notes its earliest known use in the Old English period, which is pre-1150). You would have seen it written in various ways back then, like "daye-lighte" or "dey liȝht."
The first known meaning was exactly what it sounds like: "the light of day." It referred to the natural illumination we get from the sun during the time the sun is up, as opposed to darkness or artificial light. So, from the very beginning, it described that bright period when you can see clearly because of the sun.
Interestingly, this way of putting words together (like "day" + "light") is also found in similar words in other Germanic languages, like Dutch ("daglicht") and German ("Tageslicht"), showing a common linguistic root for this simple and essential concept.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Daylight
Broad daylight: In full view, openly, usually implying something surprising or brazen given the visibility.
Scare the daylights out of (someone): To frighten someone very severely.
Beat the daylights out of (someone/something): To hit someone or something repeatedly and severely.
See the daylight: To begin to understand something clearly, especially after a period of confusion. (Also, to be born or brought into existence).
Shed daylight on (something): To reveal or clarify information about something, often a mystery or problem.
Bring to daylight: To expose something, usually a secret or hidden fact, to public knowledge.
The cold light of day / The clear light of day: A realistic and often harsh perspective when examining something objectively, especially after initial enthusiasm or emotion has passed.
Burn daylight: To waste time, especially when time is limited. (Less common now, but historically used).
Not the same in the daylight: Something appears less appealing or impressive when seen clearly in natural light, as opposed to in dim light or under a different impression.
Daylight saving time: The practice of setting clocks forward one hour from standard time during the warmer months, so that evening daylight lasts longer.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of daylight from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
