Where does “goodnight” come from?
goodnight (English) comes from English Good, from Dutch goed, from Middle Dutch goet, from Old Dutch guot, from Proto-West Germanic gōd, from Proto-Germanic gudą, from Proto-Germanic gastiz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.
goodnight (English): Alternative spelling of good night
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of good night
Ancestry of “goodnight”, step by step
goodnight traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Good
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Good | Plato's metaprinciple of proper systemic function between principles; the fundamental Platonic form which enables knowledge and metacognition, from which other concepts such as truth, justice and virtue derive meaning |
| 2 | Dutch | goed | good; correct, right; all right, fine |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | goet | good |
| 4 | Old Dutch | guot | good |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | gōd | good |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gudą | invoked one; god, deity |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gastiz | stranger, guest |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰóstis | stranger, host |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |
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 |