Learned borrowing from Late Latin pernoctātiō (“act of spending of the night (doing something, particularly praying)”) + English -ion (suffix forming nouns indicating an action or process, or the result of an action or process). Pernoctātiō is derived from Latin pernoctātus (“having spent the night”) + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs);[1] pernoctātus is the perfect passive participle of pernoctō (“to spend the night”), from per- (prefix with the sense of completion or entirety forming verbs) + nox (“night; darkness”)[2] (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night; evening (?)”), possibly from *negʷ- (“bare, naked”) in the sense of becoming bare of sunlight).
pernoctation (countable and uncountable, plural pernoctations) (formal)
- (uncountable) The action of abiding through the night at a location; (countable) an instance of this; an overnight stay.
1685, R. H. [pseudonym; Abraham Woodhead], “Part I”, in An Historical Narration of the Life and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [s.n.], →OCLC, § 113, page 88:The next morning they [Mary and Joseph] return back with ſpeed toward Jeruſalem; and at night repairing to their former lodging, neither there it ſeems heard they any thing of him [Jesus] (which argues, for this time of his abſence his pernoctation in the Temple), and ſo they muſt paſs this ſecond night alſo in great deſolation.
1880 November, Statutes Proposed to be Made by the University of Oxford Commissioners for Exeter College, Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire: E. Pickard Hall, […], and J. H. Stacy, […], →OCLC, part III, section 15, page 11:For the purposes of this clause, residing in Oxford shall mean the occupation of a dwelling-house or lodging in Oxford with pernoctation, and residing in College shall mean the occupation of rooms in College, or of a house in immediate communication with the College, with pernoctation.
- (uncountable) The action of walking about at night, especially as a vigil or watch; (countable) an instance of this.
1958, W[illiam] C[onrad] Costin, The History of St. John’s College, Oxford, 1598–1890, Oxford, Oxfordshire: University Press, →OCLC, page 21:In 1599 Sr Robert Leech and Sr John Meades were guilty of pernoctation and breaking windows. They had been sent to prison by the Proctor.
- (countable, religion, chiefly Christianity, obsolete) A religious watch kept during normal sleeping hours, during which prayers or other ceremonies are performed; a vigil.
1772, John Glen King, “The Order of the After-vespers”, in The Rites and Ceremonies of the Greek Church, in Russia; […], London: […] W. Owen, […]; J[ames] Dodsley, […]; J[ohn] Rivington, […]; and T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, […], →OCLC, footnote 6, page 82:[I]n general the veſpers begin a little before ſunſet; the matins at four o'clock in the morning, and the liturgy or communion about nine; and when the vigil, or pernoctation, is performed, that ſervice begins after ſunſet; and there is no ſervice, in the morning following, till the communion.
The sense of a religious watch may apply either to a holy vigil or to diabolical activities.
action of abiding through the night at a location; overnight stay
action of walking about at night; instance of this
- Finnish: yövartio
- Spanish: please add this translation if you can
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religious watch kept during normal sleeping hours
- Finnish: yömessu
- Russian: ночное бде́ние n (nočnoje bdénije)
- Spanish: please add this translation if you can
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- ^ “pernoctation, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2020; “pernoctation, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ “pernoctate, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2020; “pernoctate, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.