Where does “nocturnal” come from?

nocturnal (Middle French) comes from Latin nocturnālis, from Latin nocturnus, from Latin Nox, from Proto-Italic nokts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

Ancestry of “nocturnal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinnocturnālisnocturnal
2LatinnocturnusOf or belonging to the night, nocturnal
3LatinNoxNight personification
4Proto-Italicnoktsnight
5Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
6Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked

Words derived from “nocturnal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts →Every word from Proto-Italic nokts →