English
naked
Naked comes from Middle English naked ‘fully bodily uncovered’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *negʷ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*negʷ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nakwadazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nak(k)wadreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nacod
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500naked‘fully bodily uncovered’
- Englishearliest quotation 1480same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*negʷ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nakwadazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nak(k)wadreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nacod
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500naked‘fully bodily uncovered’
- Englishearliest quotation 1480same form
Earliest quotation: 1480, anonymous author, Cura Sapientiæ; or: “I knowe my self moost naked in al artes,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *negʷ-
night, nude, negro, noir, gymnastics, nigger, actin, nocturnal, gymnasium, nox, gymnast, naga, denigrate, nocturne, nigella, nudism, 51 more
Today it means
adj Bare, not covered by clothing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *negʷ- / naked