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Inspired by this question What would be a "night owl" in Latin? and its excellent answers, I's like to know about the antonym of a "night owl": What would be a "lark" or "early bird"?

I was thinking about formations like homo matutinus or homo matutinalis, but for sure, there are better alternatives!

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    I wonder if you could do something with the goddess names Mater Matuta or Aurora.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Oct 12, 2017 at 16:12
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    Well matutinus would mean exactly that. It has given matineux or matinal in French by the way.
    – Luc
    Commented Oct 12, 2017 at 22:53
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    In Etymologies XII.7.37, it is the Nightingale Lucinia, or Credula, which is the 'early bird' and welcomes the sun as it rises. Just in case you need a symbolic early bird.
    – Hugh
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 21:30
  • @luc matutino is a valid word in Spanish, translatable as the English adjective 'morning'
    – Rafael
    Commented May 15, 2018 at 23:57

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My suggestion is to simply use the adjective matutinus either alone or with an appropriate noun. The entry in Lewis and Short gives examples in the right spirit:

  • cliens matutinus — a client who comes early in the morning
  • Aeneas se matutinus agebat — Aeneas was up early
  • Iuppiter and Ianus were greeted early in the morning

A morning person would be aptly called homo matutinus in Latin. There may be something more colorful, but this is certainly an idiomatic choice.

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