Where does “nightmare” come from?
nightmare (Middle English) comes from Old English nihtmare, from Proto-West Germanic nahtmarā, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.
Ancestry of “nightmare”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | nihtmare | mare; nightmare |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | nahtmarā | nightmare |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
Words derived from “nightmare”