Sunup

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsʌnʌp/

Definitions

1. The time at which the sun rises above the horizon signifies the end of night and the beginning of daylight hours
2. This moment represents the transition from darkness to light when the sun ascends in the sky
3. The moment when the sun first appears over the horizon, marking the start of the day

Etymology: Sunup is about as transparent as English compounds get: "sun" plus "up," the adverb that marks the sun rising above the horizon. The combination reads like a noun phrase, and in use it works as one, naming the moment of sunrise much as "sundown" names its counterpart at evening. Its parts are both native Old English stock, so there is no Latin or French detour to trace. What makes the word worth a second look is its grammar. "Up" is a particle that English constantly pairs with verbs ("wake up," "get up"), and "sun up" turns the phrase into a noun that is most often used in set expressions such as "from sunup to sundown," where it marks the start of a working day. Agricultural and rural speech kept it alive long after many other time expressions faded from ordinary talk.

Synonyms: dawn, daybreak, sunrise

Antonyms: sunset, nightfall