Where does “nighttime” come from?
Nighttime is a Middle English compound of nyght and tyme, referring to the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
nighttime (English): The hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise;...
Definitions
- The hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise;...
Ancestry of “nighttime”, step by step
nighttime 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 Middle English nyght tyme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nyght tyme | — |