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I'm applying tags to a set of recorded data files, and I have to classify by when the recording appears to be taken (if it's light or dark).

TimeOfDay: Day
TimeOfDay: Night
TimeOfDay: Dusk 
TimeOfDay: Dawn
TimeOfDay: Night/Day # (the recording spans both Day and Night)

Is there another term to describe "time of day"?

Edit: As per the comments, removed most of the specific constraints - question now focuses on the terminology.

Alex L
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  • Could you use daylight? – J.R. Jan 08 '13 at 09:04
  • @J.R. Do you think that's the best word for the job? – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 09:11
  • That's the best word I can think of at the moment, but that doesn't mean it's the best word for the job. – J.R. Jan 08 '13 at 09:15
  • @J.R. I like it, but I'm holding out for a clearer term. I thought of "Condition", but then realised we're already using that for another field. :( – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 09:19
  • LightSource? Flash/daylight/artificial light? – mplungjan Jan 08 '13 at 09:19
  • @mplungjan Just for an easy field to search by - to be able to look up all the data files taken during dusk, for example. It's taken by a video camera with no attached light, and exclusively outside - no flash or artificial light! – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 09:21
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    LightingCondition – mplungjan Jan 08 '13 at 09:24
  • @mplungjan If you'd like to make your comments answers then we can vote on them? :) – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 09:41
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    This question is much too constrained by programming considerations to be on topic here. It is essentially "name my variable" and therefore should be closed off topic. Please see the [FAQ]. – MetaEd Jan 08 '13 at 13:10
  • The English-language answer to this question is simply "time of day". Any other answer would be specific to your program's situation and not useful to anyone else, I'm afraid. – Mark Beadles Jan 08 '13 at 15:17
  • @MετάEd I've updated my question to be less about my software and more about the terminology. – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 16:08
  • @MarkBeadles I think you're right - please make your comment an answer ("just use time of day"). (You said English - is there a specific word for this in another language?) – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 16:12
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    (I'm actually more interested in the English side of things, I thought that an explanation of my particular problem might be interesting/useful - I guess I'm too used to SO!) – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 16:14
  • How does "Period of the day" sound? – Mohit Jan 08 '13 at 17:01
  • Really? How could you possibly avoid confusion? “How can you examples of day, night or dusk not overlap?

    Why would it be a problem to categorize everything by the actual time of day recordfed wiyth it, in H:M:S?

    Or would you like to by this round think I've just invented, for moving loads along without actually lifting them?

     – Robbie Goodwin Apr 21 '17 at 18:41

4 Answers4

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How about LightingCondition

which I would understand given a choice of day/daylight, night/artificial light no light...

It seems my other suggestion LightSource (Flash/daylight/artificial light) is less relevant for you

mplungjan
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These periods like day, night, evening, morning, dusk, twilight, afternoon, etc. are simply called "times of day".

Even the National Institute of Standards and Technology calls them that and I suppose that's as official as one can get, at least in the US.

Mark Beadles
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If you would like something a little more poetical and less stuffy, you could always use hour (M-W)

4a : a customary or particular time lunch hour, in our hour of need

The word hour existed long before we started dividing the day into 24 equal periods; it could refer to a particular time of day (one of the canonical hours lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, and vigils) when prayers were read.

(Etymonline):

Church sense is oldest in English. Meaning "one of the 24 equal parts of a natural solar day (time from one sunrise to the next), equal hour; definite time of day or night reckoned in equal hours," and that of "one of the 12 equal parts of an artificial day (sunrise to sunset) or night, varying in duration according to the season; definite time of day or night reckoned in unequal hours" are from late 14c.

Spencer
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Since diurnal-nocturnal course refers to the whole astronomical day, you can use the phrase DiurnalNocturnalSpan to describe the time of the day, even though not universally applicable. The camera users will automatically use the context and work out to realize that DiurnalNocturnalSpan refers to the time of the day they're working in.

P.K.
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    (In terms of animal behaviour at least) doesn't diurnal refer to day, nocturnal = night, and crepuscular = twilight? – Alex L Jan 08 '13 at 09:45
  • @AlexL: Yes, I had that doubt in my mind throughout posting it. I've figured out a better phrase. – P.K. Jan 08 '13 at 09:48
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    You'd think you'd be able to remove the di- and noct- prefixes and just go with UrnalSpan, but apparently that's not supported usage.... – Hellion Jan 08 '13 at 20:21
  • @Hellion I support urnal as a word! – Milind R Oct 25 '21 at 11:47