Where does “night-ape” come from?
night-ape (English) comes from Afrikaans nagapie, from Afrikaans nag, from Dutch nacht, from Middle Dutch nacht, from Old Dutch naht, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts — bare, naked.
Ancestry of “night-ape”, step by step
night-ape traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Afrikaans nagapie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | nagapie | mohol bushbaby |
| 2 | Afrikaans | nag | The period between sunset and sunrise, when the... |
| 3 | Dutch | nacht | night |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | nacht | night |
| 5 | Old Dutch | naht | night |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |