Where does “nightmare” come from?
Nightmare comes from Middle English nightmare, from Old English nihtmare, from Proto-West Germanic nahtmarā, combining naht (night) and a root related to Proto-Indo-European mor- or mer- (to harm or frighten).
nightmare (English): A demon or monster, thought to plague people...
Definitions
- A demon or monster, thought to plague people...
Ancestry of “nightmare”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “nightmare”