postdawn
|post-dawn|
🇺🇸
/poʊstˈdɔn/
🇬🇧
/pəʊstˈdɔːn/
after dawn
Etymology
'postdawn' is formed from the prefix 'post-' (from Latin 'post') meaning 'after' plus the noun 'dawn' (Old English origin meaning 'daybreak').
'post-' comes from Latin 'post' meaning 'after'; 'dawn' traces to Old English (e.g. 'dagung'/'dagian') meaning 'to become day' and through Middle English became 'dawn'; the compound 'postdawn' is a modern English formation combining these elements.
Originally the elements meant 'after' and 'daybreak' respectively; together the modern compound came to mean 'after dawn' or 'in the early morning', a straightforward compositional development.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the time or period immediately after dawn; the early-morning hours.
The postdawn was filled with birdsong and a cool breeze.
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Adjective 1
occurring after dawn; happening in the early morning just after the sun has risen.
They took a postdawn walk while the streets were still quiet.
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Last updated: 2025/10/02 18:54