Where does “nihten” come from?
nihten (Middle High German) comes from Middle High German niht, from Old High German niwiht, from Old High German nio, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
Ancestry of “nihten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | niht | not |
| 2 | Old High German | niwiht | — |
| 3 | Old High German | nio | never |
| 4 | Old High German | io | always |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
Words derived from “nihten”