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Glite Dictionary
dayspring

dayspring

1 9.9
First light in the morning when the sky begins to get bright
  • noun
  • /ˈdeɪˌsprɪŋ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : alba
  • The expedition's steamer, the Dayspring, foundered on rocks at Rabba on the Benue River in October 1857 and had to be abandoned.

Examples

  • Daniel has a bachelor's degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College.

    Blog text (22)

  • Disclosure: Dayspring provided me with the product for the review; all opinions are my own.

    Blog text (8)

  • I am simply reflecting on the dayspring of that which only at a later time in a person's life dare we call intellect.

    Academic text (2000)

  • In these latter examples, the philosophical thought (thinking about) has a particular credibility because it has grown up from within the act of thinking, the latter the intellectual dayspring of the former.

    Academic text (2000)

  • As the sun began to rise, the dayspring filled the sky with beautiful shades of orange and pink.

  • The dayspring brought a sense of hope as the darkness of night faded away.

  • Many people enjoy watching the dayspring over the ocean, appreciating the beauty of a new day.

Synonyms

dawn
vsdayspring
386 1.0

The first light in the sky before the sun rises

is the same first light moment rather than the sun's arrival
sunrise
vsdayspring
220 1.0

The time in the morning when the sun comes up and day begins

describes the earlier first light stage rather than the sun's arrival
first light
vsdayspring
34 1.7

The time in the morning when the sky starts to get bright

identifies that same initial light moment rather than full daylight
daybreak
vsdayspring
29 1.0

The time in the early morning when light first appears in the sky

refers to that same initial morning light rather than later daylight
crack of dawn
vsdayspring
  • Informal
19 3.2

Very early in the morning when the sun first appears

focuses on first light that can come before the actual sun rise
dawning
vsdayspring
14 3.7

The time when the first light appears in the morning

emphasizes that same beginning light not the sun's appearance
sunup
vsdayspring
  • Informal
13 1.0

The time in the morning when the sun first appears above the horizon

points to the earlier first light moment that can precede the sun
break of day
vsdayspring
4 1.0

The first light of morning when the sun rises

highlights the identical first light event rather than later sunrise
cockcrow
vsdayspring
  • Archaic
1 9.1

The time very early in the morning when light first appears

describes the same early light moment rather than any later morning time
break of the day
vsdayspring
1 1.9

The first light of morning when the sun begins to appear

focuses on the same first light occurrence rather than the sun itself
peep of day
vsdayspring
  • Archaic
9.5

Very early morning when the first light comes

is focused on that first visible light rather than later brightness
aurora
vsdayspring
  • Literature
8.6

The first light of day when the sky begins to brighten

means the same first morning light without emphasizing poetic use
dawnlight
vsdayspring
3.9

Soft pale light that appears in the sky just before sunrise

centres on the initial light itself rather than its gentle tone or metaphor

Antonyms

nightfall
65 2.1

The time in the evening when it becomes dark and night begins

How Bright

morning
∞ 1.0
sunrise
220 1.0
dayspring
  • Archaic
1 9.9
twilight
36 2.4
night
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

dayspring singular
daysprings plural

Morphology

dayspring = day + spring (transparent) = day + spring

The compound directly denotes the 'rising' of the day (dawn); although somewhat literary/archaic, the components yield the meaning clearly.

Etymology

The word dayspring starts with day and ends with spring, where spring here means 'to rise' or 'a rising'. Think of the day 'springing up' like water from a spring at the first light, so dayspring means 'dawn' or the first appearance of light.