gloaming

/ˈɡləʊ.mɪŋ/

Etymology

From Middle English gloming, from Old English glōmung, from Old English glōm (“twilight”). Related to glow. The OED notes: "The vowel of the modern gloaming is anomalous, as Old English glōmung should normally become glooming. The explanation is probably that the ō was shortened in the compound ǣfen-glommung (as the spelling seems to show was actually the case), and that from this compound there was evolved a new subject glŏmung, which by normal phonetic development became Middle English glǭming, modern English gloaming."

gloaming means Twilight, as at early morning (dawn) or (especially) early evening; dusk. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 76 out of 100.

Why this word is great

GLOAMING — [Noun] The twilight, especially of the evening; the soft, diffuse light that lingers after sunset. From Middle English gloming, from Old English glōmung ("twilight"), from Old English glōm ("twilight"), related to glow. Unlike "dusk," a common, functional term for a time of day, or "gloom," which denotes an oppressive darkness, "gloaming" captures the luminous process of the transition itself—a suspended, atmospheric state. It is the last copper band on the western horizon, the softening of edges on a familiar path, and the quiet hush as distant windows begin to gleam like scattered embers. This is the world's daily practice in gentle dissolution, a brief, luminous reprieve before the final commitment to night.

noun

Twilight, as at early morning (dawn) or (especially) early evening; dusk.“Where in purple hue, the hieland hills we view / And the moon coming out in the gloaming.”
Sullenness; melancholy.