Where does “nat” come from?
nat (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon nat, from Proto-Germanic nataz, from Proto-Indo-European ned- — to be wet; wet; to tie together.
Ancestry of “nat”, step by step
nat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Saxon nat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | nat | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | nataz | wet |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ned- | to be wet; wet; to tie together |
via Proto-West Germanic *nat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | *nat | wet |