Where does “nightfright” come from?
nightfright (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.
nightfright (English): Fear of the night, nyctophobia, noctophobia; A...
Definitions
- Fear of the night, nyctophobia, noctophobia; A...
Ancestry of “nightfright”, step by step
nightfright 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 fright
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fright | A state of terror excited by the sudden... |
| 2 | Middle English | fright | Alternative form of frith; A fright or scare |
| 3 | Old English | fryhtu | Alternative form of fyrhtu: fright |
| 4 | Old English | fyrhtu | fright |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | furhtī | fright, fear |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | furhtį̄ | fear, fright |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | perǵ- | — |