Where does “ナイチンゲール” come from?
ナイチンゲール (Japanese) comes from English nightingale, from Middle English nyghtyngale, from Middle English nyghtgale, from Old English nihtegale, from Proto-West Germanic nahtigalā, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts — bare, naked.
Ancestry of “ナイチンゲール”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nightingale | A European songbird, "Luscinia megarhynchos", of... |
| 2 | Middle English | nyghtyngale | nightingale |
| 3 | Middle English | nyghtgale | nightingale |
| 4 | Old English | nihtegale | nightingale |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | nahtigalā | nightingale |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |