English
evennight
Evennight comes from Old English efnniht ‘equinox’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *ebnanaht.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ebnanaht‘equinox’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150efnniht‘equinox’
- Englishearliest quotation 1992evennight
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ebnanaht‘equinox’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150efnniht‘equinox’
- Englishearliest quotation 1992evennight
Earliest quotation: 1992, Stephen A. McNallen, Maddy Hutter: “Ostara's Day is the first Sunday following the Spring…”
Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)ém-no- ‘equal, straight’
Proto-Germanic *ebnaz ‘equal, even’
Proto-West Germanic *ebna- ‘like-, level, equal-’
English even-
Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ‘night’
Proto-Germanic *nahts ‘night’
Proto-West Germanic *naht ‘night’
Old English niht ‘night’
Middle English nighte
English night
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *ebnanaht
Today it means
noun Equinox.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *ebnanaht / evennight