Tenebration
/ˌtɛn.əˈbreɪ.ʃən/noun
The state or act of darkening; the obscuring of light.
Did you know?Tenebration is built from Latin *tenebrae* (“darkness”), the same root behind the eerie, candle-snuffed atmosphere of Christian Holy Week services called Tenebrae.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
tenebrae
“darkness, gloom, shadows”
Late Latin
Latin
tenebrāre
“to darken”
Medieval Latin
Latin
tenebrātiō
“a darkening; obscuring”
16th–17th Century
English
tenebration
“darkening, obscuration”
Modern English
English
tenebration
“the act or state of becoming dark”
Explore more surprising origins