soiree

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The Word of the Day for May 21 is: 

soiree   \swah-RAY\   noun
     : a party or reception held in the evening

Example sentence:
     "The soiree would scarcely break up before two; and by this hour the 
vehicle was to be at the door, when, in the confusion occasioned by the 
departure of the company, Madame L. could easily enter it unobserved." (Edgar 
Allan Poe, "The Spectacles")

Did you know?
     In French, "soiree" means "evening party," or simply "evening." The French 
word comes from the Latin adverb "sero" (meaning "at a late hour"), which comes 
from the Latin adjective "serus" (meaning "late"). English speakers began using 
"soiree" early in the 19th century, and, later in the century, some began to 
use the word as a verb meaning "to entertain at an evening party." The verb use 
of the word never became firmly established, but the sophisticated noun 
"soiree" remains a popular alternative to the comparatively prosaic "party."