Etymograph

English

night

Night comes from Old English niht ‘night’, from Proto-Germanic *nahts, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ‘night’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷts1‘night’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nahts1‘night’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*naht1‘night’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150niht1‘night’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nighte1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1885night1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English night
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1885, Richard F. Burton, Arabian Nights: “So I took seat and ate somewhat of my…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷtsWiktionary, English night‘night’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nahtsWiktionary, English night‘night’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nahtWiktionary, English night‘night’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150nihtWiktionary, English night‘night’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nighteWiktionary, English night
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1885nightWiktionary, English night. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1885, Richard F. Burton, Arabian Nights: “So I took seat and ate somewhat of my…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- ‘bare, naked’

naked, nude, negro, gymnastics, gymnasium, actin, gymnast, naga, denigrate, nudism, 50 more

through Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts

noir, nocturnal, nox, nigger, nocturne, negroni, nigella, 28 more

Today it means

noun The time when the Sun is below the horizon when the sky is dark.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “night”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts / night

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