nightly

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪtli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtli
• Homophone: knightly

From Middle English nyȝtly, nihtlich, nihtlic, from Old English nihtlīċ, nihtelīċ (“nocturnal, nightly, of the night, at night”), equivalent to night +‎ -ly. Cognate with Scots nichtlie (“nightly”), West Frisian nachtlik (“nightly, nocturnal”), Dutch nachtelijk (“nightly, nocturnal”), German nächtlich (“nocturnal, nightly”), Danish natlig (“nightly”), Swedish nattlig (“nightly, nocturnal”).

nightly (not comparable)

1. Happening or appearing in the night; night-time; nocturnal.

   nightly dews

   • 1871, John Tyndall, Fragments of Science: A Series of Detached Essays, Lectures, and Reviews:

     A cobweb spread above a blossom Is sufficient to protect It from nightly chill.

2. Performing, occurring, or taking place every night.

   The dog demanded to go out for his nightly walk.

3. Used in the night.

From Middle English nyghtly, neghtly, from Old English *nihtlīċe (“nightly”), equivalent to night +‎ -ly.

nightly (not comparable)

1. Every night.

   He checks his email nightly.

   • 1952 December, R. C. Riley, “By Rail to Kemp Town”, in Railway Magazine, page 836:

     This tunnel assumed some measure of importance during the second world war, when it was used nightly as an air raid shelter for multiple unit electric trains which were propelled over the branch by a steam engine.

   • 1979, The Boomtown Rats (lyrics and music), “Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)”, in The Fine Art of Surfacing:

     I practice nightly, I try to keep ahead / This art of surfacing is all but dead

nightly (plural nightlies)

1. (computing) A build of a software program with the latest changes, released every night.
   • 2014, Adam Onishi, Pro WordPress Theme Development, Apress, →ISBN, page 349:

     Depending on how brave you are, you can even set it to update to the “bleeding edge nightlies” instead of just the point release nightlies if you want to really see the cutting edge of WordPress core development.

• thingly