Where does “overnight” come from?
Overnight comes from Middle English overnyght, from Old English ofer niht, literally "over night."
overnight (English): During or throughout the night, especially during...
Definitions
- During or throughout the night, especially during...
Ancestry of “overnight”, 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 “overnight”