night-walker

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who walks about at night: "night-walker" refers to someone who is active or moving around during the nighttime hours, often for work, recreation, or nefarious purposes.
   • A sleepwalker: In medical or colloquial contexts, a "night-walker" can mean a person who walks while asleep, also known as a somnambulist.
   • A prostitute who solicits at night: Historically and in some dictionaries, "night-walker" is a euphemism for a prostitute who works after dark.

Usage Examples

• General sense:

  • The city streets are quiet except for the occasional night-walker. (Someone walking around at night.)
  • He was known as a night-walker, often taking long strolls under the moon. (A person who habitually walks at night.)

• Sleepwalker:

  • The child is a night-walker; he often wanders into the kitchen while asleep. (A person who walks in their sleep.)

• Historical/prostitute:

  • In old literature, a night-walker was often a woman of ill repute. (A prostitute who works at night.)

Advanced Usage

• "night-walker" as a literary term: Used in Gothic or mystery fiction to describe a mysterious or sinister figure who roams at night.

  • The novel's protagonist is a night-walker, haunted by ghosts of the past. (A character who travels at night due to personal demons.)

• "night-walker" in folklore: In some traditions, refers to a supernatural being or ghost that appears after dark.

  • Villagers feared the night-walker, a spirit said to steal children. (A mythical nocturnal entity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nightwalking (n): the act of walking about at night.

  • Nightwalking through the empty city was a peaceful experience. (The activity of walking after dark.)

• Nightwalker (n): a variant spelling without the hyphen, used interchangeably.

  • The nightwalker paused under the streetlamp. (Same meaning as night-walker.)

Synonyms

• Noctambulist: a formal term for a sleepwalker.
• Somnambulist: a medical term for someone who walks in their sleep.
• Streetwalker: a prostitute who solicits on the streets (often at night).
• Nocturnal wanderer: a person who roams at night.

Related Idioms

• "Night owl": a person who stays up late at night (not necessarily a walker).

  • She is a night owl, but not a night-walker. (She stays awake late but does not walk around.)

• "Walk the night": to roam or patrol during the night.

  • The guard had to walk the night to ensure safety. (To move through the night on duty.)