Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nightingale” come from?

Nightingale comes from Middle English nyghtyngale, from Old English nihtegale, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰel-.

nightingale (English): A European songbird, "Luscinia megarhynchos", of...

Definitions

  1. A European songbird, "Luscinia megarhynchos", of...

Ancestry of “nightingale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnyghtyngalenightingale
2Middle Englishnyghtgalenightingale
3Old Englishnihtegalenightingale
4Proto-West Germanicnahtigalānightingale
5Proto-West Germanicnahtnight
6Proto-Germanicnahtsnight
7Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
8Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked

Words derived from “nightingale”

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