English Meaning & Definitions
Occurring or existing in the time immediately before sunrise.
- “The soldiers began their march during the cold predawn hours.”
- “We set out in the predawn darkness to reach the summit by sunrise.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “predawn”.
Formed by the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae', meaning 'before') and the noun 'dawn' (from Old English 'dagung', related to 'dæg' or 'day'). The term emerged in the 19th century to describe the specific period of darkness immediately preceding the first light of day.
Pre (before) + dawn (sunrise) = The time just before the sun comes up.
Frequently Asked Questions About “predawn”
1. What is the meaning of “predawn” in English?
In English, predawn (adjective) is defined as: “Occurring or existing in the time immediately before sunrise.”.
2. How do you use “predawn” in a sentence?
“The soldiers began their march during the cold predawn hours.”
3. What are English synonyms of “predawn”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “predawn”?
Formed by the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae', meaning 'before') and the noun 'dawn' (from Old English 'dagung', related to 'dæg' or 'day'). The term emerged in the 19th century to describe the specific period of darkness immediately preceding the first light of day.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.