Meanings
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1
noun
a gentle, lyrical, or dreamlike musical composition suggestive of night, especially one for solo piano
She ended the recital with a quiet Chopin nocturne.
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2
noun
a painting or other work of art depicting or evoking night
The gallery hung Whistler's river nocturne beside several moonlit landscapes.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from French nocturne, literally 'nocturnal,' from Latin nocturnus, 'of the night.' John Field established the musical title for lyrical piano pieces, while James McNeill Whistler later applied it to atmospheric paintings whose arrangement of tone and color evoked night.