Where does “midnight” come from?

midnight (Middle English) comes from Old English midniht, from Proto-Germanic midjanahts, from Proto-Germanic midjaz, from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos, from Proto-Indo-European medʰi-, from Proto-Indo-European me — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.

Ancestry of “midnight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmidnihtmidnight
2Proto-Germanicmidjanahtsmidnight
3Proto-Germanicmidjazmiddle, mid
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmédʰyosmiddle
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmedʰi-with, among; with, along
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmein the middle of, near, by, around, with

Words derived from “midnight”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European me →Every word from Proto-Indo-European medʰi- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos →