Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

moonlight

/ˈmunˌlaɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.61 in modern English

Syllables
moon-light
IPA
/ˈmunˌlaɪt/
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it.

Uncountable

noun

The silvery colour of the light reflected by the Moon.

Archaic; Uncountable

noun

Synonym of moonshine (“illegally produced or smuggled spirits”).

British usage; Archaic; Uncountable

noun

Chiefly in to do a moonlight: short for moonlight flit (“an act of secretly leaving premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon; hence, any act of escaping at night”).

Countable; Informal

noun

A picture of a scene illuminated by light reflected by the Moon.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

A journey made at night when the Moon is shining.

American usage; Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

An oratorical competition; also, a participant in such a competition.

American usage; Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

verb

To do a moonlight flit: to secretly leave premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon.

Informal; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s Proto-Germanic *mēnô Proto-West Germanic *mānō Old English mōna Middle English mone Proto-Indo-European *lewk-der. Proto-Indo-European *lewk-to-s Proto-Germanic *leuhtaz Proto-West Germanic *leuht Old English lēoht Middle English light Middle English moonelight English moonlight The noun is derived from Middle English moonelight, monelight, mone lyght (“light of the moon; (heraldry) pattern of moons on the field of a heraldic banner”), from mon, mone (“moon”) (from Old English mōna (“moon”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s (“moon; month”)) + light (“light”) (from Old English lēoht (“light”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”)). By surface analysis, moon + light. The verb is derived from the noun. Verb sense 1.1 (“to secretly leave premises without paying the rent”) is a back-formation from moonlight flit, while verb sense 1.2 (“to make a night-time attack on a tenant farmer”) is probably a back-formation from moonlighter. cognates * Dutch maanlicht * German Mondlicht * Scots muinlicht, munelicht * West Frisian moanneljocht

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: moonelight,monelight,mone lyght, mōna, *mḗh₁n̥s, lēoht, *lewk-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmunˌlaɪt/
  • British English: /ˈmuːnlaɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

moonlights (plural) moonlights (present, singular) moonlighting (participle, present) moonlighted (participle, past) moonlighted (past)

Derived Forms

moonlighty moonlighter moonlighting

Phrases

do a moonlight flit moonlight-and-magnolia moonlight and roses moonlight blue moonlight flit moonlight requisition moonlight school moonlight tower

Frequently Paired Words

moonlit sunlight daylight starlight

Synonyms

moonshine moon

Questions

How do you pronounce moonlight?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmunˌlaɪt/.
What does moonlight mean?
The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it.
Where does moonlight come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce moonlight

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “moonlight”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmunˌlaɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “moonlight”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “moonlight” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.