crepuscular

English

WOTD – 27 April 2007

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin crepusculum + -ar.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɹɪˈpʌs.kjʊ.lə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɹɪˈpʌs.kjə.lɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌskjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

crepuscular (comparative more crepuscular, superlative most crepuscular)

1. Of or resembling twilight; dim.

   Synonym: twilightish

2. (zoology) Active at or around dusk, dawn or twilight.
   • 1999, J. Anne Helgren, Communicating with Your Cat‎^[1], →ISBN, page 51:

     That's why cats are crepuscular — most active at dawn and dusk — because mice and rats forage for food during these hours when fewer of their natural enemies are around.

Hyponyms

• matutinal
• vespertinal
• vespertine

Coordinate terms

• diurnal
• nocturnal

Derived terms

• crepuscularity
• crepuscularly
• crepuscular ray
• noncrepuscular

Related terms

• crepuscule
• crepusculine
• crepusculous
• crepusculum

Translations

of or relating to twilight

• Belarusian: сутонлівы (sutónlivy), сутонны (sutónny), сутонневы (sutónnjevy)
• Catalan: crepuscular
• Esperanto: vespera
• Finnish: hämärä (fi)
• French: crépusculaire (fr)
• German: dämmerungs-
• Italian: crepuscolare (it)
• Manx: breck-ghoo
• Portuguese: crepuscular (pt)
• Russian: су́меречный (ru) m (súmerečnyj)
• Spanish: crepuscular (es)

active at or around dusk, dawn or twilight

• Catalan: crepuscular
• Dutch: schemeractief
• Finnish: hämäräaktiivinen
• French: crépusculaire (fr)
• German: dämmerungsaktiv (de)
• Italian: crepuscolare (it), crepuscolare (it)
• Japanese: 薄明薄暮性 (hakumeihakubosei)
• Portuguese: crepuscular (pt)
• Spanish: crepuscular (es)

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin crepusculum +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kɾə.pus.kuˈlar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [kɾə.pus.kuˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kɾe.pus.kuˈlaɾ]

Adjective

crepuscular m or f (masculine and feminine plural crepusculars)

1. crepuscular

Related terms

• crepuscle

Further reading

• “crepuscular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

Galician

Adjective

crepuscular m or f (plural crepusculares)

1. crepuscular

Related terms

• crepúsculo

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɾe.pus.kuˈlaʁ/ [kɾe.pus.kuˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɾe.pus.kuˈlaʁ/ [kɾe.pus.kuˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kɾe.pus.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kɾe.puʃ.kuˈlaʁ/ [kɾe.puʃ.kuˈlaχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɾe.pus.kuˈlaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɾɨ.puʃ.kuˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɾɨ.puʃ.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɾɨ.puʃ.kuˈla.ɾi/

Adjective

crepuscular m or f (plural crepusculares, not comparable)

1. crepuscular

Related terms

• crepúsculo

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French crépusculaire.

Adjective

crepuscular m or n (feminine singular crepusculară, masculine plural crepusculari, feminine and neuter plural crepusculare)

1. crepuscular

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	crepuscular		crepusculară		crepusculari	crepusculare
	definite	crepuscularul		crepusculara		crepuscularii	crepuscularele
genitive- dative	indefinite	crepuscular		crepusculare		crepusculari	crepusculare
	definite	crepuscularului		crepuscularei		crepuscularilor	crepuscularelor

Related terms

• crepuscul

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɾepuskuˈlaɾ/ [kɾe.pus.kuˈlaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: cre‧pus‧cu‧lar

Adjective

crepuscular m or f (masculine and feminine plural crepusculares)

1. crepuscular

Related terms

• crepúsculo

Further reading

• “crepuscular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10