tonight English · revision 3302

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 1000}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /təˈnaɪt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|to night]],^(AHD 2000)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|tō niht|t=at night; on the night following]],^(AHD 2000)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) [[af|ang|tō|niht|t1=at, on|t2=night]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000)^(MWU 2024) the dative of [[m|ang|niht]].^(Barnhart 1988) It is formed like [[today]] and [[tomorrow]].^(COED 2004)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English tōniht, “on the night following this day”, is from about 1000.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) “On this very night”, the night now present, is from before 1300, in ''Cursor Mundi'' (before 1325).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle English the word could also mean “last night”, a sense recorded from about 1205 and now obsolete except in dialect.^(OED 1989) As a noun, “this night”, it is from the early 14th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) It was regularly written as two words until the 18th century, then with a hyphen as to-night until the early 20th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1000 – on the night following this day.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1205 – last night (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1325 – on this very night; noun, this night.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 18th century – written to-night.^(Etymonline)

+ * early 20th century – written tonight.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # On or during the present or coming [[night]].^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # This night, or the night after this day.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[today]]

+ * [[tomorrow]]

+ * [[night]]

+ * [[tonite]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The spelling ''tonite'' is an informal variant.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}