Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or occurring in the morning; early.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to the morning; coming or occurring early in the day: as, a matutinal bath.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the morning; early.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective pertaining to or occurring in the morning

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin mātūtīnālis, from Latin mātūtīnus; see matins.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin mātūtīnālis, “belonging to the early morning”, from Latin mātūtīnus, “of or pertaining to the morning” (from Mātūta, Roman goddess of the dawn + -īnus, “-ine”) + -ālis, “-al”.

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Examples

  • Let there be light, and there was a sort of matutinal, * glowing phenomenon that slowly transfused, etc.

    Block That Adjective! 2010

  • These matutinal excursions were planned on the preceding evening.

    Les Miserables 2008

  • The next morning Rastignac woke late and stayed in bed, giving himself up to one of those matutinal reveries in the course of which a young man glides like a sylph under many a silken, or cashmere, or cotton drapery.

    Study of a Woman 2007

  • “To see something,” answered Grandet, not duped by the matutinal appearance of his friend.

    Eug�nie Grandet 2007

  • Sauf bien sur quand ca concerne une heure precieuse de sommeil gaché par un reveil matutinal précoce!!

    pinku-tk Diary Entry pinku-tk 2007

  • The next morning Rastignac woke late and stayed in bed, giving himself up to one of those matutinal reveries in the course of which a young man glides like a sylph under many a silken, or cashmere, or cotton drapery.

    Study of a Woman 2007

  • The stewards began preparing breakfast with that matutinal eagerness which they always show.

    The Kickleburys on the Rhine 2006

  • I slept a bit earlier than the other two, but was nevertheless surprised to come down the next morning at the advanced hour of 10:30 and not even see the normally-matutinal D downstairs she'd got up earlier and then gone back to bed for an unexpectedly-prolonged snooze.

    Bristol and back, with extras badasstronaut 2006

  • Pen, putting on his hat, strode forth into the air, and almost over the body of the matutinal housemaid, who was rubbing the steps at the door.

    The History of Pendennis 2006

  • Mr Robarts escaped to the Dragon of Wantly, partly because he had had enough of the matutinal Mrs Proudie, and partly also in order that he might hurry his friends there.

    Framley Parsonage 2004

Comments

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  • MATUTINAL, pertaining to the morning, early. (L.) Matutinal

    is in Blount's Gloss., ed. 1674 ; mainline in Kersey, ed. 1715.—

    Lat. matutinalis, belonging to the morning ; formed with suffix -alis

    from matiitin-us, belonging to the morning ; see further under

    Matins.

    July 29, 2007

  • About someone impeccably clean-shaven: "He spoke, as to cheek and chin, of the joy of the matutinal steel." - Alan Hollinghurst, in The Line of Beauty, riffing on Henry James.

    December 5, 2007

  • p.45 de Fixer des vertiges. Les photographies de Willy Ronis

    February 28, 2008