ˈnight-walker
[f. night n. + walker n.]
1. One who walks about by night, esp. with criminal intentions; a bully or thief. Now rare. (Common in 17th c.)
| 1467 Nottingham Rec. II. 264 Ricardus Colman..est communis noctivagus vocatus Anglice ‘a nyghtwalker’ contra formam Statuti. c 1500 Virgilius in Thoms Prose Rom. (1858) II. 41 The nyght walkers carede not a poynt for that crye. 1581 Lambarde Eiren. ii. vi. (1588) 196 Watches to be kept for arresting of suspected persons, and of nightwalkers. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 400 Nero Cæ sar,..vsing (as he did) to be a night-walker,..met otherwhiles with those that would so beat him. 1671 F. Philipps Reg. Necess. 580 To lodge the remainder of the night among the debauched or unruly sort of people, calld Rats or Night-walkers. 1732 Lond. Mag. I. 334 Give some share of credit to the out-lying Night-walkers, and Suburbian ghosts. 1771 E. Long in Hone Every-day Bk. II. 206 He never..hurt any body but rogues and night-walkers. 1808 Sporting Mag. XXX. 263 One of the night-walkers came in with his legs foremost. 1820 Scott Abbot xxxv, If he turns resetter of idle companions and night-walkers, the place must be rid of him. |
b. A street-walker, a prostitute. Now rare.
| 1670–1 N. Riding Rec. VI. 152 A Huby woman presented for being a common night-walker. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 8 ¶3, I am very well acquainted with all the Haunts and Resorts of Female Night-walkers. c 1730 Fielding Pleasures of Town Wks. 1771 I. 246 Young virgins are scarce as rails, sir; Plenty as batts the night-walkers go. 1825 Act 6 Geo. IV, c. 97 §3 Every common Prostitute and Night-Walker. |
† c. ‘A bell-man’. Obs. rare—0.
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew. |
2. An animal that moves about by night. Also in specific uses (see quots.).
| 1686 Plot Staffordsh. 243 Most certain it is that Eeles are such night-walkers. 1691 Ray Creation (1692) 131 The Tamandua, or Ant-Bear, described by Marcgrave and Piso, who saith of them, that they are Night-walkers, and seek their Food by Night. 1754 Strype Stow's Surv. (ed. 6) I. i. xx. 124/1 What the Keepers call their School of Apes, which contains two Egyptian Night-walkers, and two Apes from Turkey. a 1779 Cook Voy. iii. viii. (1784) I. 152 We caught..another [fish].., of a reddish colour with a little beard, which we called night walkers, from the greatest number being caught in the night. 1894 Outing XXIV. 137/2 The huge nightwalkers or bob-worms. |
3. A somnambulist. rare—1.
| 1753 Chambers Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Noctambulatio, Those..afflicted with it..are by some called lunatic night-walkers. |