Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “nüchtern” come from?

nüchtern (German) comes from Middle High German nüehtern, from Old High German nuohtarn, from Latin nocturnus, from Latin Nox, from Proto-Italic nokts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

nüchtern (German): sober; with an empty stomach; matter-of-fact,...

Definitions

  1. sober; with an empty stomach; matter-of-fact,...

Ancestry of “nüchtern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germannüehtern—
2Old High Germannuohtarn—
3LatinnocturnusOf or belonging to the night, nocturnal
4LatinNox—
5Proto-Italicnokts—
6Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
7Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →