Where does “late-night” come from?
late-night (English) comes 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, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.
late-night (English): Of, or related to the late night time
Definitions
- Of, or related to the late night time
Ancestry of “late-night”, step by step
late-night traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via English late
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | late | Near the end of a period of time; Specifically,... |
| 2 | Middle English | late | Manner; behaviour; outward appearance or aspect;... |
| 3 | Old English | late | slow(ly) |
| 4 | Old English | læt | slow; slack, lax, negligent; late |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lētaz | freeman; bondsman; serf |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lētaną | to let, to allow; to leave alone |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₁d- | to be tired |