night-cap

Noun

nightcap (plural nightcaps)

1. A warm cloth cap worn while sleeping, often with pajamas, being common attire in northern Europe before effective home heating became widespread.
   • Winston wore a nightcap to stave off the cold.
2. A beverage drunk before bed that is usually alcoholic.
   • I'll make myself a nightcap of whisky and lemon before heading to bed.
3. (broadly, figuratively) Something that a person reads or listens to before bed.
   • "[…] and as a nightcap I happened to pick the copy of Plato […]"1920, Granville Stanley Hall, Recreations of a Psychologist
4. (US) The final match of a sporting contest, especially the second game of a baseball doubleheader.
5. (historical) A cap drawn over the face of the condemned person before they are hanged.

See all 7 meanings of nightcap