vesper

1 of 2

noun

ves·​per ˈve-spər 

variants or Vesper

1

: a cocktail made with gin, vodka, and a usually wine-based aperitif

The new elder-flower-infused gin … is pure elegance, lending a delicate floral note to the crisp vesper …

—Craig LaBan

2

archaic : a bell (as of a church) rung at the canonical hour of vespers

Even in the vesper's heavenly tone, / They seemed to hear a dying groan, / And bade the passing knell to toll …

—Sir Walter Scott

3

archaic : evening, eventide

—often used before another noun

… those vesper calls of the robins from the twilight spruce woods …

—L. M. Montgomery

4

archaic : evening star sense 1

… from highest noon till the red vesper sinks into the west.

—Henry David Thoreau

vesper

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to vespers or the evening

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin, evening, evening star; (sense 1) introduced as the name for a cocktail by British author Ian fleming in the novel Casino Royale (1953) — more at west

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vesper

• respire