sundown
UK: ˈsʌn.daʊn | US: ˈsʌn.daʊn
n. the time in the evening when the sun disappears below the horizon; dusk.
n. (archaic) a decline or conclusion, often metaphorical (e.g., "the sundown of an era").
The word "sundown" is a transparent compound of "sun" (Old English sunne, from Proto-Germanic sunnōn) and "down" (Old English dūne, originally meaning "from the hill," later generalized to "descent"). The term emerged in Middle English to literally describe the sun’s descent below the horizon. Its metaphorical use for decline (e.g., "sundown years") reflects the symbolic association of sunset with endings.
We reached the beach just before sundown.
Farmers often finish their work by sundown.
The village holds a sundown ceremony every summer solstice.
His health began to fail in the sundown of his life.
The contract expires at sundown tomorrow.