night

Where does the word "night" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic nahts, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Night’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: nahts meant “night.” Cognate with Latin 'nox, noctis', as in 'nocturnal'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as niht. Germanic peoples counted time in nights; 'fortnight' is 'fourteen nights'. It reached English by 1500s as night. The 'gh' keeps a throat sound, still heard in German 'Nacht', that English lost in speech. Today, night means the time of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient nahts "night", cognate with Latin 'nox, noctis', as in 'nocturnal'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s niht "night", Germanic peoples counted time in nights; 'fortnight' is 'fourteen nights'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s night "night", the 'gh' keeps a throat sound, still heard in German 'Nacht', that English lost in speech.