Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “forenight” come from?

forenight (English) comes from Middle English fore-niht, from Old English foranniht, from Old English niht, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

forenight (English): The evening, between twilight and bedtime

Definitions

  1. The evening, between twilight and bedtime

Ancestry of “forenight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfore-niht—
2Old Englishforanniht—
3Old Englishnihtnight; day
4Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
5Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →