Where does “dark night” come from?
dark night (English) comes from English dark, from Middle English derk, from Old English deorc, from Proto-West Germanic derk, from Proto-Germanic derkaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerg-o-s, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerg-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.
Ancestry of “dark night”, step by step
dark night traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dark
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dark | Having an absolute or relative lack of light;... |
| 2 | Middle English | derk | dark |
| 3 | Old English | deorc | dark |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | derk | dirty; dark |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | derkaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg-o-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg- | to dim, darken; dim, dull; dark, dusky |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English night
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | night | The period between sunset and sunrise, when a... |
| 2 | Middle English | nyght | Alternative form of nighte; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Middle English | nighte | night |
| 4 | Old English | nyht | Alternative form of niht |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |