night | Words related to night | Online Etymology Dictionary

Words related to night

Old English feohtan "to combat, contend with weapons, strive; attack; gain by fighting, win" (intransitive; class III strong verb; past tense feaht, past participle fohten), from Proto-Germanic *fe(u)hta (source also of Old High German fehtan, German fechten, Middle Dutch and Dutch vechten, Old Frisian fiuhta "to fight"), probably from PIE *pek- (2) "to comb, to pluck out" wool or hair (source also of Lithuanian pėšti"to pluck," Greek pekein "to comb, shear," pekos "fleece, wool;" Persian pashm "wool, down," Latin pectere "to comb," Sanskrit paksman- "eyebrows, hair"). Apparently the notion is "pulling roughly," or "to tear out one another's hair." But perhaps it is from the source of Latin pugnus "fist."

Spelling substitution of -gh- for a "hard H" sound was a Middle English scribal habit, especially before -t-. In some late Old English examples, the middle consonant was represented by a yogh. Among provincial early Modern English spellings, Wright lists faight, fate, fecht, feeght, feight, feit, feyght, feyt, feort, foight.

From c. 1200 as "offer resistance, struggle;" also "to quarrel, wrangle, create a disturbance." From late 14c. as "be in conflict." Transitive use from 1690s. To fight for "contest on behalf of" is from early 14c. To fight back "resist" is recorded from 1890. Well figt þat wel fligt ("he fights well that flies fast") was a Middle English proverb.

all-nighter (n.)

"incident of staying up all night," 1870, from the adverbial phrase; see all + night. By 1930 as "person who stays up all night."

benight (v.)

1550s, "to be overtaken by darkness;" 1630s, "to involve with darkness," from be- + night. Figurative sense of "to involve in moral or intellectual darkness" is from c. 1600, and the word is rarely used now except in the figurative past-participle adjective benighted.

equinox (n.)

c. 1400, "point at which the sun crosses the earth's equator, making day and night of equal length everywhere," from Old French equinoce (12c.) or directly from Medieval Latin equinoxium "equality of night (and day)," from Latin aequinoctium, usually in plural, dies aequinoctii "the equinoxes," from aequus "equal" (see equal (adj.)) + nox (genitive noctis) "night" (see night). The Old English translation was efnniht. Related: Equinoctial.

fortnight (n.)

"period of two weeks," 17c. contraction of Middle English fourteniht, from Old English feowertyne niht, literally "fourteen nights" (see fourteen + night). It preserves the ancient Germanic custom of reckoning by nights (mentioned by Tacitus in "Germania" xi). Related: Fortnightly.

good-night

phrase in parting for the evening or retiring to sleep, c. 1200, from good (adj.) + night. As an exclamation of surprise from 1893.

Kristallnacht (n.)

in reference to the pogrom of Nov. 9-10, 1938, in Germany and Austria; from German, literally "crystal night;" often translated as "Night of Broken Glass." See crystal (n.) + night (n.).

midnight (n.)

"the middle of the night, 12 o'clock at night," Old English mid-niht, or middre niht (with dative of adjective). See mid (adj.) + night. Compare similar formation in Old High German mittinaht, German Mitternacht. Midnight oil symbolizing "late night work" is attested from 1630s.

nightcap (n.)

also night-cap, late 14c., "covering for the head, worn in bed," from night + cap (n.). In the alcoholic sense, it is attested from 1818. American English sense of "final event in a sporting contest" (especially the second game of a baseball double-header) is by 1924.

Sunday's baseball opening brought out New York vs. Cleveland in the first game. with Philadelphia and Cincinnati as the star attraction in the nightcap number. [The Typographical Journal, September 1923]

nightclub (n.)

also night-club, "club open at night," 1894, from night + club (n.) in the social sense.

Words related to night

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