vesper

See also: Vesper and Vësper

English

Etymology

From Old French vespre, from Latin vesper (“evening star”). The martini name was coined by English novelist Ian Fleming in 1953 in his novel Casino Royale, where fictional secret agent James Bond concocts the recipe and names it after the character Vesper Lynd.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛspɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛspə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

vesper (plural vespers)

1. The bell that summons worshippers to vespers; the vesper-bell.
2. (poetic) The evening.
   • 1797–1798 (date written; revised 1817), S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In Seven Parts.”, in Sibylline Leaves: A Collection of Poems, London: Rest Fenner, […], published 1817, →OCLC, page 7:

     In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, / It perch'd for vespers nine; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, / Glimmered the white Moon-shine.

3. A vesper martini.
   • 1953, Ian Fleming, “Pink Lights and Champagne”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 59:

     ‘I think it’s a fine name,’ said Bond. An idea struck him. ‘Can I borrow it?’ He explained about the special martini he had invented and his search for a name for it. ‘The Vesper,’ he said. ‘It sounds perfect and it’s very appropriate to the violet hour when my cocktail will now be drunk all over the world. Can I have it?’

4. A vesper bat.

   Almost all vespers are insect catchers.

Derived terms

• vesper mouse
• vesper sparrow
• vespertide

Adjective

vesper (not comparable)

1. (poetic) Evening.
   • 1908, James Ryder Randall, “On the Rampart”, in Maryland, my Maryland, and other poems, Baltimore, Md.; New York: John Murphy Company, page 28:

     On Sumter’s rampart, that sweet eve, / I heard the vesper bugle play […]

Anagrams

• perves, preves

Catalan

Etymology

From vespa +‎ -er. Compare Occitan vespièr, French guêpier, Portuguese vespeiro, Spanish avispero, Romanian viespar, Italian vespaio, Friulian gjespâr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [bəsˈpe̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [vəsˈpe]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [bəsˈpe]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [vesˈpeɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [besˈpe]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

vesper m (plural vespers)

1. wasp nest
2. wasp group
3. (colloquial) complicated mess

Related terms

• vespa

Finnish

Etymology

< Latin vesper

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋesper/, [ˈʋe̞s̠pe̞r]
• Rhymes: -esper
• Syllabification^(key): ves‧per
• Hyphenation^(key): ves‧per

Noun

vesper

1. vespers (evening service)

   Synonym: iltarukoushetki

Declension

Inflection of vesper (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		vesper	vesperit
genitive		vesperin	vesperien vespereiden vespereitten
partitive		vesperiä	vespereitä vesperejä
illative		vesperiin	vespereihin
		singular	plural
nominative		vesper	vesperit
accusative	nom.	vesper	vesperit
	gen.	vesperin
genitive		vesperin	vesperien vespereiden vespereitten
partitive		vesperiä	vespereitä vesperejä
inessive		vesperissä	vespereissä
elative		vesperistä	vespereistä
illative		vesperiin	vespereihin
adessive		vesperillä	vespereillä
ablative		vesperiltä	vespereiltä
allative		vesperille	vespereille
essive		vesperinä	vespereinä
translative		vesperiksi	vespereiksi
abessive		vesperittä	vespereittä
instructive		—	vesperein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of vesper (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vesperini vesperini accusative nom. vesperini vesperini gen. vesperini genitive vesperini vesperieni vespereideni vespereitteni partitive vesperiäni vespereitäni vesperejäni inessive vesperissäni vespereissäni elative vesperistäni vespereistäni illative vesperiini vespereihini adessive vesperilläni vespereilläni ablative vesperiltäni vespereiltäni allative vesperilleni vespereilleni essive vesperinäni vespereinäni translative vesperikseni vespereikseni abessive vesperittäni vespereittäni instructive — — comitative — vespereineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative vesperisi vesperisi accusative nom. vesperisi vesperisi gen. vesperisi genitive vesperisi vesperiesi vespereidesi vespereittesi partitive vesperiäsi vespereitäsi vesperejäsi inessive vesperissäsi vespereissäsi elative vesperistäsi vespereistäsi illative vesperiisi vespereihisi adessive vesperilläsi vespereilläsi ablative vesperiltäsi vespereiltäsi allative vesperillesi vespereillesi essive vesperinäsi vespereinäsi translative vesperiksesi vespereiksesi abessive vesperittäsi vespereittäsi instructive — — comitative — vespereinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vesperimme vesperimme accusative nom. vesperimme vesperimme gen. vesperimme genitive vesperimme vesperiemme vespereidemme vespereittemme partitive vesperiämme vespereitämme vesperejämme inessive vesperissämme vespereissämme elative vesperistämme vespereistämme illative vesperiimme vespereihimme adessive vesperillämme vespereillämme ablative vesperiltämme vespereiltämme allative vesperillemme vespereillemme essive vesperinämme vespereinämme translative vesperiksemme vespereiksemme abessive vesperittämme vespereittämme instructive — — comitative — vespereinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative vesperinne vesperinne accusative nom. vesperinne vesperinne gen. vesperinne genitive vesperinne vesperienne vespereidenne vespereittenne partitive vesperiänne vespereitänne vesperejänne inessive vesperissänne vespereissänne elative vesperistänne vespereistänne illative vesperiinne vespereihinne adessive vesperillänne vespereillänne ablative vesperiltänne vespereiltänne allative vesperillenne vespereillenne essive vesperinänne vespereinänne translative vesperiksenne vespereiksenne abessive vesperittänne vespereittänne instructive — — comitative — vespereinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative vesperinsä vesperinsä accusative nom. vesperinsä vesperinsä gen. vesperinsä genitive vesperinsä vesperiensä vespereidensä vespereittensä partitive vesperiään vesperiänsä vespereitään vesperejään vespereitänsä vesperejänsä inessive vesperissään vesperissänsä vespereissään vespereissänsä elative vesperistään vesperistänsä vespereistään vespereistänsä illative vesperiinsä vespereihinsä adessive vesperillään vesperillänsä vespereillään vespereillänsä ablative vesperiltään vesperiltänsä vespereiltään vespereiltänsä allative vesperilleen vesperillensä vespereilleen vespereillensä essive vesperinään vesperinänsä vespereinään vespereinänsä translative vesperikseen vesperiksensä vespereikseen vespereiksensä abessive vesperittään vesperittänsä vespereittään vespereittänsä instructive — — comitative — vespereineen vespereinensä

Further reading

• “vesper”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 14 May 2026

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷséps?

Proto-Indo-European *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros

Proto-Italic *wesperos

Latin vesper

Inherited from Proto-Italic *wesperos, from Proto-Indo-European *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros. Cognates include Ancient Greek ἕσπερος (hésperos), Old Church Slavonic вєчєръ (večerŭ) and Old Armenian գիշեր (gišer).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwɛs.pɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvɛs.per]

Noun

vesper m (genitive vesperī or vesperis); variously declined, second declension, third declension

1. the evening or vespers
   • 68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 10.11.4:

     sed Antonius venit heri vesperi.

     But Antony arrived yesterday evening.
     Note the use of the locative vesperi; 'in the evening'.

2. supper, dinner (evening meal)
3. (by extension) the evening star
4. (by extension) the West

Declension

• This noun can be declined in two paradigms; in classical Latin prose, only the singular forms were used (plural forms are found post-Classically), and the second declension forms prevailed except for the ablative.

Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er) or third-declension noun, with locative.

	singular	plural
nominative	vesper	vesperī vesperēs
genitive	vesperī vesperis	vesperōrum vesperum
dative	vesperō vesperī	vesperīs vesperibus
accusative	vesperum vesperem	vesperōs vesperēs
ablative	vespere vesperō	vesperīs vesperibus
vocative	vesper	vesperī vesperēs
locative	vesperī	—

Locative used in the sense "in the evening".

Coordinate terms

times of day: partēs diēīedit

• aurōra
• māne
• merīdiēs
• vesper
• crepusculum
• nox
• media nox

Derived terms

• vesperāscit
• vesperna
• vespertīliō
• vespertīnus
• vesperūgō
• vesperus

Related terms

• vespera

Descendants

• Dalmatian: viaspro
• → Esperanto: vespero
• Piedmontese: vespr, vésper
• Lombard: vèsper
• Istriot: bésper
• Italian: vespro
• Sicilian: vèspiru
• Old French: vespre, vespree
  • Middle French: vespre
    • French: vêpre
  • Norman: vêpe
  • Walloon: vesprêye
  • → English: vesper
  • ⇒ Old French: vespres (oblique plural)
    • French: vêpres
    • → Middle English: vespers, vespres
      • English: vespers
• Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: vespre
• Old Galician-Portuguese:
  • Portuguese: vésper
• → Spanish: véspero
• → Albanian: dhespër (or from Ancient Greek ἕσπερος (hésperos))
• → Old Irish: fescor
  • Irish: feascar
  • Manx: fastyr
  • Scottish Gaelic: feasgar
• → Welsh: gosber

References

• “vesper”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “vesper”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “vesper”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Swedish

Noun

vesper c

1. (Christianity) a vespers, a Vespers (evening service)

   Coordinate term: laudes

2. a vesper (evening hymn)

Declension

Declension of vesper

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	vesper	vespers
	definite	vespern	vesperns
plural	indefinite	vesprar	vesprars
	definite	vesprarna	vesprarnas

See also

• tidegärd

References

• “vesper”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)