Sunsetter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Something that descends or recedes like the setting sun ; a retractable awning or shade device typically used on patios or decks
2. Anything that moves downward in the fashion of the sun at day's end ; an outdoor shade system that extends and retracts to block sunlight
3. Something that sinks or fades away as the sun does at dusk ; a motorized or manual shade canopy designed to provide shelter from the sun's rays

Etymology: Sunsetter is a rare, real English word, formed in the plainest way possible: the noun "sunset" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who or that which does something. Its earliest sense is the most straightforward one: a person who sets the sun, which in practice means the western direction or an observer watching the sun go down. Its use is largely figurative and poetic, and it appears mostly in literary and dialect contexts rather than everyday speech. Because the word is a transparent compound, there is no hidden Latin or Greek story behind it, and its meaning follows directly from its two parts. Its later uses, such as a term for a sunset-related product or a brand name, are modern and do not reflect a separate etymological history.