English
morning
Morning comes from Middle English morwenynge ‘morning, sunrise’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *merkʷ- ‘to flicker, twinkle, darken’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*merkʷ-‘to flicker’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*murginazas *murganazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*morganreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150morgen
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500morwen‘morning’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500morwenynge‘morning’
- Englishearliest quotation 1791morning
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*merkʷ-‘to flicker’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*murginazas *murganazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*morganreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150morgen
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500morwen‘morning’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500morwenynge‘morning’
- Englishearliest quotation 1791morning
Earliest quotation: 1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina: “Celestina […] retired to her own room, leaving her…”
Equivalent to morn + -ing
Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘to shimmer, glisten’
…
Proto-Germanic *murganaz
Proto-West Germanic *morgan
Old English morgen ‘morning’
Middle English morn
English morn
Linked words
through Old English morgen
Today it means
noun The early part of the day, especially from midnight to noon.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *merkʷ- / morning