Dimouts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reduction or limitation of artificial lighting for safety or conservation purposes
2. A temporary measure to decrease light output in response to specific conditions or regulations
3. An intentional dimming of lights to protect military operations or enhance visibility of certain conditions

Etymology: "Dimouts" is the plural of "dimout," a noun for a period of reduced street lighting, typically imposed to make a town harder to spot from the air. The noun is formed from the phrasal verb "dim out," meaning to dim lights or make them less bright, with the verb's meaning turned into a noun by the same process that produces words like "walkout" or "blackout." The plural adds nothing new to the story: it simply counts multiple instances of the reduced lighting. The base verb "dim" goes back to Old English "dimm," meaning dark or gloomy, while the particle "out" supplies the sense of extinguishing or reducing, so the whole phrase reads as lessening light until darkness is partial.