What does nightcap mean?
A nightcap most commonly means a drink taken at bedtime, particularly a small glass of brandy, wine, ale, or another alcoholic drink. The expression carries a traditional, old-fashioned tone and often suggests that the drink is intended to be warming or helpful for settling into sleep, although such effects are not guaranteed. By extension, a nightcap can also be a soft cap worn for sleeping, a sense associated with earlier domestic life and now chiefly literary. The word has a further informal use for a police officer's cap. Across these senses, the shared idea is something associated with the end of the day or the night. Although contemporary speakers often use the word humorously or nostalgically, it remains especially natural in phrases referring to bedtime drinks and traditional bedclothes.
nounA drink, traditionally an alcoholic one, taken at bedtime. The term can also denote a soft cap worn in bed and, informally, a police officer's cap.
- A drink, especially a small alcoholic drink, taken at bedtime.
- A soft cap worn in bed, especially in the traditional style of a nightcap.
- Informally, a police officer's cap or helmet.
"He drank a small glass of brandy as a nightcap before turning in for the night."
"A hot toddy served as a warming nightcap after the long walk home."
"She pulled a woollen nightcap down over her ears and turned out the lamp."
Used when referring to multiple drinks taken at bedtime, sleeping caps, or police officers' caps.
"The inn served hot punches as nightcaps to its evening guests."
What began as a covering for sleeping heads became a small drink believed to ease the way into sleep.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of nightcap
Nightcap is a compound formed from “night” and “cap.” The first element comes from Old English niht, while “cap” ultimately derives from late Latin cappa, a hood or head covering; the compound originally referred to a cap worn at night. The drink sense developed later through the idea of taking a small draught before sleep. Related words include nightmare, from Old English nihtmare, and midnight, while cape and capital belong to the wider family derived through Latin caput, “head.”
How nightcap is actually used
For the drink sense, the word has a traditional and slightly old-fashioned flavour and often implies alcohol, though it can also refer to a non-alcoholic bedtime drink. The bed-cap sense is literary or historical. The police-cap sense is informal and chiefly associated with British English.