Where does “nightly” come from?

Nightly derives from Middle English nyghtly and Old English nihtlīċe, formed from the noun for night with an adverbial suffix.

nightly (English): Happening or appearing in the night; night-time;...

Definitions

  1. Happening or appearing in the night; night-time;...

Ancestry of “nightly”, step by step

nightly traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English night

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnightThe period between sunset and sunrise, when a...
2Middle EnglishnyghtAlternative form of nighte; Alternative form of...
3Middle Englishnightenight
4Old EnglishnyhtAlternative form of niht
5Proto-West Germanicnahtnight
6Proto-Germanicnahtsnight
7Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
8Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li

via Middle English nyghtly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnyghtly(happening) at night
2Old Englishnihtlīċenightly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →