Where does “nightclothes” come from?
nightclothes (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.
nightclothes (English): Clothing worn while sleeping in bed, such as...
Definitions
- Clothing worn while sleeping in bed, such as...
Ancestry of “nightclothes”, step by step
nightclothes 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 clothes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clothes | Items of clothing; apparel; plural of cloth; The... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloþes | Alternative form of clothes |
| 3 | Middle English | cloþ | Alternative form of cloth; cloth, garment |
| 4 | Old English | clāþ | cloth, clothes, covering, sail |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |