midnight sun
4
6.3
- noun
- /ˈmɪdˌnaɪt sʌn/
- US
:
sol de medianoche
- The difference in sunlight is most extreme at the poles, which is why you only hear about the "midnight sun" in places like Alaska, not in Florida.
- land of the midnight sun
- light of the midnight sun
- see the midnight sun
Examples
-
She stayed open most evenings until nine or ten to accommodate the well-dressed strollers in the park enjoying the balmy weather and the light of the midnight sun.
Fiction book (1992) -
If you go to the Arctic Circle, you will, for example, experience two months with the midnight sun.
Blog text (9) -
The midnight sun cast a bruised light into a sky that was hard blue.
Fiction book (1996) -
In the far north, across the Serpent's waist, a midnight sun is rising.
Fiction book (1991) -
Depending on where you are in Greenland, you can experience places where the sun never goes down behind the horizon—it is called the midnight sun.
Blog text (9) -
During the summer months in Norway, residents enjoy the beauty of the midnight sun that lights up the sky at midnight.
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Tourists flock to the Arctic regions to experience the phenomenon of the midnight sun for themselves.
-
In Iceland, the midnight sun creates a unique atmosphere where people can enjoy outdoor activities at all hours.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a direct, literal combination of 'midnight' and 'sun' — a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer 'the sun visible at midnight'. The specific polar/seasonal context is background knowledge but not required to understand the compositional meaning; similar constructions exist across languages, so it is transparently interpretable.
Etymology
Midnight sun comes from the simple image of the sun still shining at midnight, when we expect darkness. This happens near the North and South Poles in summer, so the phrase means 'the sun visible at midnight'.