Where does “noctula” come from?
noctula (New Latin) comes from Latin Noctua, from Latin *noctūus, from Latin noctu, from Latin Nox, from Proto-Italic nokts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.
Ancestry of “noctula”, step by step
noctula traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin Noctua
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Noctua | owl (small) |
| 2 | Latin | *noctūus | — |
| 3 | Latin | noctu | by night, at night |
| 4 | Latin | Nox | Night personification |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | nokts | night |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
via Classical Latin noctua
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classical Latin | noctua | — |