Sunset

Sunset

Noun · /ˈsʌnset/ · the daily disappearance of the sun below the western horizon; the end of a period or phase

Definition

Sunset is the daily moment when the sun's upper edge disappears below the western horizon, marking the transition from day into evening. The word describes both the precise astronomical instant and the broader atmospheric spectacle — the deep reds, burnt oranges, purples, and crimsons that colour the sky as sunlight passes through more atmosphere at a shallow angle, scattering the shorter wavelengths of light and leaving only the longest. Figuratively, sunset describes the closing phase of anything: a sunset industry is one in decline, a sunset clause expires at the end of a defined period, and a sunset career is in its final, often distinguished, chapter.

Origin

Sunset is the compound counterpart to sunrise — sun plus the noun set, from Old English settan, meaning to cause to go down, to place in a lower position. The verb to set as applied to celestial bodies — meaning to sink below the horizon — appears in Old English and has cognates across the Germanic languages. The compound sunset appears in written English by the fifteenth century, at roughly the same time as sunrise. Before that, Old English used sunnansetlgong — the sun's sitting-going — a wonderfully vivid description of the sun appearing to settle itself down below the edge of the world.