Where does “knightmare” come from?
knightmare (English) comes from English nightmare, from English night, from Middle English nyght, from Middle English nighte, from Old English nyht, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts — bare, naked.
knightmare (English): A figurative nightmare involving a knight, e.g. a crushing knight move or a hopeless situation involving a knight
Definitions
- A figurative nightmare involving a knight, e.g. a crushing knight move or a hopeless situation involving a knight
Ancestry of “knightmare”, step by step
knightmare traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nightmare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nightmare | A demon or monster, thought to plague people... |
| 2 | English | night | The period between sunset and sunrise, when a... |
| 3 | Middle English | nyght | Alternative form of nighte; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Middle English | nighte | night |
| 5 | Old English | nyht | Alternative form of niht |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |