Where does “eventide” come from?
Eventide comes from Old English ǣfentīd, combining Old English ǣfen from Proto-Germanic ēbanþs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁epi and h₁eps.
eventide (English): evening
Ancestry of “eventide”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | eventyde | — |
| 2 | Old English | ǣfentīd | — |
| 3 | Old English | ǣfen | evening |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | ābanþ | evening |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ēbanþs | evening |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁epi | on, at, near |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁eps | — |