Where does “nightwalking” come from?

nightwalking (English) comes from English walking, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.

nightwalking (English): The activity of a prostitute who looks for clients on the streets

Definitions

  1. The activity of a prostitute who looks for clients on the streets

Ancestry of “nightwalking”, step by step

nightwalking traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English walking

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwalkingpresent participle of walk; Incarnate as a human;...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-
nightwalking — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer