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mon name of many species of the genus Solanum, given esp. to the Solanum nigrum, or black nightshade, a low, branching weed with small white flowers and black berries reputed to be poisonous. Deadly nightshade. Same as Belladonna (a). -- Enchanter's nightshade. See under Enchanter. -- Stinking nightshade. See Henbane…

A kind of nightgown for men.

The time from dusk to dawn; -- opposed to Ant: daytime.

Approaching toward night.

A pot companion. [Obs.]

Light, fuel, or food for the whole night. [Obs.] Bacon.

In the night time; at night. [Archaic] Does he hawk anights still Marston.

To involve in darkness; to shroud with the shades of night; to obscure. [Archaic] The clouds benight the sky. Garth.

The condition of being benighted.

The night in which a person is born; the anniversary of that night in succeeding years. The angelic song in Bethlehem field, On thy birthnight, that sung thee Savior born. Milton.

The evening between twilight and bedtime. [Scot.]

The space of fourteen days; two weeks.

Occurring or appearing once in a fortnight; as, a fortnightly meeting of a club; a fortnightly magazine, or other publication. -- adv.

One on whom knighthood, a dignity next below that of baronet, is conferred by the sovereign, entitling him to be addressed as Sir; as, Sir John. [Eng.] Hence:

A knight of the most ancient, but lowest, order of English knights, and not a member of any order of chivalry. See Bachelor, 4.

A knight who carried a banner, who possessed fiefs to a greater amount than the knight bachelor, and who was obliged to serve in war with a greater number of attendants. The dignity was sometimes conferred by the sovereign in person on the field of battle.

See Baronet.

An officer in the household of the British sovereign, who has cognizance of transgressions within the royal household and verge, and of contracts made there, a member of the household being one of the parties. Wharton.

A tenure of lands held by knights on condition of performing military service. See Chivalry, n., 4.

(Feud. Law) The military service by rendering which a knight held his lands; also, the tenure of lands held on condition of performing military service.