Where does “nightingale” come from?
nightingale (Middle English) comes 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, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.
nightingale (Middle English): Alternative form of nyghtyngale
Definitions
- Alternative form of nyghtyngale
Ancestry of “nightingale”, step by step
nightingale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English nyghtyngale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nyghtyngale | nightingale |
| 2 | Middle English | nyghtgale | nightingale |
| 3 | Old English | nihtegale | nightingale |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | nahtigalā | nightingale |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
via Middle English nightegale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nightegale | Alternative form of nyghtgale |
| 2 | Old English | nihtegala | — |