daybreak

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ˈdeɪˌbreɪk/ UK /ˈdeɪˌbreɪk/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the first appearance of light in the morning; dawn

We set out at daybreak to beat the heat.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the first appearance of... dawn sunrise daylight dayspring sunup cockcrow aurora

Opposites

dusk nightfall sunset twilight

Word family

Related forms day break

Etymology

A compound of day and break (in the sense 'to break forth, appear'), attested from the 16th century, picturing the light of day breaking through darkness. Both elements descend from Old English (dæg, brecan).

dæg Old English brecan Old English

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Topics

Senses & Perception

# daybreak

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈdeɪˌbreɪk
**IPA (UK):** ˈdeɪˌbreɪk

## Meanings
1. the first appearance of light in the morning; dawn

## Examples
- We set out at daybreak to beat the heat.

## Synonyms
- dawn
- sunrise
- daylight
- dayspring
- sunup
- cockcrow
- aurora

## Antonyms
- dusk
- nightfall
- sunset
- twilight

## Related Forms
- day
- break

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dæg
- Root: brecan

## Etymology
A compound of day and break (in the sense 'to break forth, appear'), attested from the 16th century, picturing the light of day breaking through darkness. Both elements descend from Old English (dæg, brecan).

## AI Etymology
Daybreak is a compound of day and break (in the sense 'to break forth, appear'), attested from the 16th century, picturing the light of day breaking through darkness. Both elements descend from Old English (dæg, brecan). The historical trail runs through Old English dæg and Old English brecan. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means the first appearance of light in the morning; dawn. Related forms include day, break.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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daybreak

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