night rail

noun

ˈnīt-ˌrāl 

archaic

: nightgown

Examples of night rail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Right now, travelers can save up to $500 per couple on 10- to 15-night rail vacations, turning iconic train journeys into even more irresistible getaways. —Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

night entry 1 + rail "loose outer garment worn by women, scarf, shawl," going back to Middle English reyel, reil "garment," going back to Old English hrægl, hregl "cloak, garment," going back to Germanic *hregil-, *hregul- (whence also Old Frisian hreil "garment," Old High German hregil "garment, armor"), probably from an accentual variant of *hrehula- "device for holding or separating yarn" — more at reel entry 1

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for night rail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email