Vespertine is a term used in the life sciences to indicate something of, relating to, or occurring in the evening. In botany, a vespertine flower is one which opens or blooms in the evening, while in zoology, it describes a creature that becomes active in the evening, as bats and owls. Vespertine animals are frequently described as "nocturnal", although this usage is not strictly correct. (See also crepuscular.) Etymologically it is derived from the Latin word vesper meaning evening. A synonym for vespertine both in botany and zoology is "crepuscular", although strictly speaking "crepuscular" refers to both early morning and early evening.