noctu

Pronunciation

• Classical: [ˈnɔk.tuː]^[1]
• Ecclesiastical: [ˈnɔk.tu]^[1]

Forms

noctū (not comparable)^[1]

Etymology

It is the ablative or locative of ⟨*noctus⟩, a fourth-declension form beside nox (“night”).^[2] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Italic *noktowe and Proto-Indo-European *nokʷt-ew (“by night”), cognate with Sanskrit अक्तु (aktú, “by night”).^[1] De Vaan reports Pinault's view that it continues a locative ⟨*nokʷt-eu⟩ made after the locative of the word for “day”, and traces ⟨nox⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler gives Plautus as its first author.^[4] In Old Latin it also served as an ablative of ⟨nox⟩: Plautus' hāc noctū, “this night”, and Ennius' noctū concubiā, “at the time of first sleep”.^[2][1]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb it means by night, at night, and it was used so throughout Latin.^[2][5] The ablative use, hāc noctū, belongs to Old Latin and to the historian Quadrigarius.^[2][1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.^[2][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius in noctū concubiā.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. By night, at night.^[2][1][5]

Noun

1. (Old Latin) Ablative of nox: hāc noctū, this night.^[2][1]

Word family

• noctulūcus
• noctuuigilus

Related words

• nox
• noctua
• nocturnus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson