Noctilucent (adj)
nok-til-yoo-sent
(of high-altitude clouds) visible during the short night of the summer.
In noctilucent, the nocti- element comes from Latin nox, meaning “night.” Meanwhile, -lucent derives from Latin lucēre, “to shine,” from lux, meaning “light.” In this way, anything noctilucent is literally a night-light.
Example sentences
“A patch of noctilucent clouds slowly came into view as the sun set behind the mountains..”
Praetorian (adj) (noun) pri-taw-ree-un of or relating to a praetor (a magistrate in the Roman republic). a soldier of the Praetorian Guard (Roman imperial army) First recorded in 1375–1425; late…
