noctu Latin · revision 30907

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 250–184 BC, Plautus|origins=ine-pro *nókʷts}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Classical: [ˈnɔk.tuː]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Ecclesiastical: [ˈnɔk.tu]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''noctū''' (not comparable)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is the ablative or locative of ⟨*noctus⟩, a fourth-declension form beside [[m|la|nox|t=night]].^(OLD 2012) Wiktionary traces it to [[itc-pro|*noktowe]] and [[ine-pro|*nokʷt-ew|t=by night]], cognate with [[sa|अक्तु|tr=aktú|t=by night]].^(Wiktionary) 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 [[ine-pro|*nókʷts|t=night]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Köbler gives Plautus as its first author.^(Köbler 2010) 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”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As an adverb it means by night, at night, and it was used so throughout Latin.^(OLD 2012)^(Stelten 1995) The ablative use, ''hāc noctū'', belongs to Old Latin and to the historian Quadrigarius.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 204–169 BC – Ennius in ''noctū concubiā''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # By [[m|en|night]], at night.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(Old Latin)'' Ablative of [[nox]]: ''hāc noctū'', this night.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[noctulūcus]]

+ * [[noctuuigilus]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nox]]

+ * [[noctua]]

+ * [[nocturnus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}