darkfall

English

Etymology

From dark +‎ fall, modelled after nightfall.

Noun

darkfall

1. The time of day when it becomes dark.
   • 2005, Kathy Williams, Of Wizards and Stones, page 54:

     They stopped long enough to put on warmer jackets and continued the arduous climb, hoping to find a sheltered spot for the darkfall.

   • 2011, Ella Young, John Matthews, Denise Sallee, At the Gates of Dawn: A Collection of Writings, page 199:

     At darkfall I heard only one instrument like a glorified Jew's harp.

   • 2014, Margaret Taylor, To Free The Dragon's Soul:

     But we did catch Turosh skulking around the Shiso last darkfall.

   • 2017, Dean Koontz, The Silent Corner, page 433:

     Well after darkfall, Jane parked at the head of their long driveway, shielded from the sight of the house by the colonnades of California live oaks.

Usage notes

In most cases, darkfall is the same as nightfall, but in settings where an area is shadowed by a tall hill, for example, darkfall may occur before nightfall, because the hill blocks out the sun before it actually sets.