nacht

Forms

nacht m (plural nachten, diminutive nachtje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch nacht, inherited from Old Dutch naht, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *naht, inherited from Proto-Germanic *nahts (“night”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night”).^[2][1][3] The same noun is Old Saxon naht, Old High German naht (modern German Nacht), Old Frisian nacht, Old English neaht or niht (modern English night), Old Norse nátt and Gothic 𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (nahts).^[2][4][3] Further cognates are Latin nox (genitive ⟨noctis⟩), Ancient Greek νύξ (núx), Lithuanian naktìs, Old Church Slavonic нощь (noštĭ), Albanian natë and Hittite nekuz (“in the evening”), among others.^[2][4][5] The zero grade of the root is found in ochtend.^[2][4]

Kroonen describes the word as a static ⟨t⟩-stem, nominative *nókʷ-t-s, genitive *nékʷ-t-s.^[3] Because of its likeness to the adjective Proto-Germanic *dinkwa- (“dark”), he suggests that it began as *dʰnogʷ-t- and lost its first consonant by dissimilation against the ⟨t⟩-suffix.^[3]

The noun was originally feminine.^[6] Its genitive ending -s, as in ⟨’s nachts⟩, was taken from dag;^[2][6] Old Dutch already pairs ⟨dages⟩ and ⟨nahtes⟩ “by day and by night”.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms, in the verse naht nahti tund wistnom “night shows knowledge to night” (Psalm 19:2), and in an dag in an naht “by day and by night”.^[2][7][8]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch has al dise nacht “all this night” (1201–1225) and the adverb snachts “at night” (1266–1268).^[2] Time was also counted in nights, as in binnen vierthiene nachten “within fourteen days” (1277); this reckoning was kept especially in legal language, and Vercoullie links it with the Germanic custom of counting days by nights.^[2][6][9]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal separates a strict sense, the time the sun is below the horizon, from the everyday one, which leaves out evening and morning and lets the night begin when people go to bed.^[6] Night was a byword for ugliness (zo lelijk als de nacht, 1733) and for the greatest difference, als dag en nacht (1525).^[6] The proverb men moet niet over ijs van één nacht gaan “one should not walk on ice of a single night” warns against acting rashly; it goes back to 16th-century images of building on such ice.^[10][6]

Among Dutch Jews nacht is the end of the day, when three stars are visible, especially the end of the Sabbath, and nacht maken is to say the havdalah prayer.^[11][12] The word went into Negerhollands (nacht, nagt), and Afrikaans has nag.^[13][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch naht appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[7][8]
• 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch al dise nacht “all this night” is recorded.^[2]
• c. 1240 – The Bernardus glossary has the spelling nagt.^[14]
• 1266–1268 – The adverb snachts “at night” is recorded.^[2]
• 1277 – Binnen vierthiene nachten means “within a fortnight”.^[2]
• 1599 – Kiliaan has nacht-braecken “to work through the night”.^[2]
• 1642 – Ice formed in a single night is described.^[6]
• 1733 – Zo lelijk als de nacht “as ugly as the night” is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. night, the time between sunset and sunrise: De nachten worden weer langer.^[15][16][1]
2. The part of the day between midnight and six in the morning.^[15][17]
3. The time between going to bed and getting up: Na zo'n korte nacht was ze moe.^[17]
4. (Jewish usage) The end of the day, especially of the Sabbath.^[12]

Word family

• nachtelijk
• nachtbraken
• nachtmerrie
• nachtschade
• nachtevening
• nachtdienst
• nachtjapon
• nachtkwartier
• nachtkaars
• vannacht
• gisternacht
• overnachten
• genachte

Related words

• ochtend
• English night
• German Nacht

Usage notes

In bij nacht en ontij “at an unearthly hour” the second word meant an unsuitable time, Middle Dutch ontijt.^[5] Van de nacht een dag maken is to do at night what one usually does by day.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
10. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
11. ^ Beem, H. (1974), Uit Mokum en de mediene: Joodse woorden in Nederlandse omgeving, Assen: Van Gorcum
12. ^ a b Kamp, Jacob van de; Wijk, Jacob van der (2006), Koosjer Nederlands: Joodse woorden in de Nederlandse taal, Amsterdam: Contact
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 258
15. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
17. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org