English
nightly
Nightly comes from Old English nihtlīċ ‘nightly, of the night, nocturnal’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷts‘night’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nahts‘night’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nahtireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150niht‘night’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150nihtlīċ‘nightly, of the night, nocturnal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nyȝtly
- Englishearliest quotation 1871nightly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nókʷts‘night’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nahts‘night’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nahtireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150niht‘night’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150nihtlīċ‘nightly, of the night, nocturnal’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nyȝtly
- Englishearliest quotation 1871nightly
Earliest quotation: 1871, John Tyndall, Fragments of Science: A Series of Detached Essays: “A cobweb spread above a blossom Is sufficient to…”
Formed from night + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ‘night’
Proto-Germanic *nahts ‘night’
Proto-West Germanic *naht ‘night’
Old English niht ‘night’
Middle English nighte
English night
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts ‘night’
noir, nocturnal, nigger, nox, nocturne, negroni, nigella, 28 more
Another origin of nightly
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*nihtlīċereconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nyghtly‘at night’
- Englishtodaynightly
Today it means
adj Happening or appearing in the night; night-time; nocturnal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts / nightly