A post about words for night, evening and related things in Celtic languages, and related words in other languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | adaig [ˈaðəɣʲ] = night |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | adaig, aidche, oidche, adhaigh = night |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | oíche [ˈiːhɪ/ˈĩːçə/ˈɪhə] = night, period of darkness, night-time, nightfall, eve anoíche = late hour of night meánoíche = midnight oíchí = nocturnal, nightly Oíche Shamhna = Halloween Oíche Nollag = Christmas Eve oíche chinn bliana = New Year’s eve |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | oidhche [ɤ̃ĩçə] = night oidhcheach [ɤ̃ĩçəx] = nightly, nocturnal oidhcheil [ɤ̃ĩçal] = nightly Oidhche Shamhna = Halloween Oidhche Nollaige = Christmas Eve oidhche Challainn [ɤ̃çəˈxal̪ɪn̪ʲ] = New Year’s eve adhaigh†, adhuigh† = night |
| Manx (Gaelg) | oie [ɛi/iː] = night, eve, night time, nocturnal, evening oieagh = nocturnal oieoil = nightly Oie Houney = Halloween, Hop tu Naa Oie Nollick = Christmas Eve Oie Nollick Veg = New Year’s eve |
| Proto-Brythonic | *exuɨð = night (?) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | hecuuyt, echwyd, echwyt = the third hour of the day (9am), interval between 9am and 12 noon, noon, time of the day when cattle etc. shelter from the heat |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | echwydd [ˈhɨ̞ðɨ̞ɡl / ˈhɪðɪɡl] = the third hour of the day (9am), interval between 9am and 12 noon, noon, time of the day when cattle etc. shelter from the heat, afternoon, evening, close of day, autumn |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | ewhe = evening |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | ehoaz, ehoa = cattle rest at midday, resting place, shade for animals, rest ehoazaff = to day a midday rest |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | ec’hoaz [ˈhyː(z)il] = midday rest, siesta ec’hoazañ = to take a midday rest ec’hoaziad = siesta ec’hoaziata = to take a siesta |
Etymology: uncertain. The Goidelic words, and maybe the Brythonic words, are possibly related to āter (dull black, dark, gloomy, sad) in Latin [source], which comes from Proto-Italic *ātros (black), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁ter- (fire) [source].
Words from the same roots may include atrocious and atrocity in English, âtre (hearth, matte black) in French, atro (dark, black, bleak, brooding) in Italian, and atro (jet-black, bad, evil, sinister) in Portuguese [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *noxt-stu- = night (?) *sindai noxtē = tonight |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | nox = night (?) |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | nocht = night innocht = tonight |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | nocht = night innocht = tonight |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | anocht [əˈn̪ˠɔxt̪ˠ] = tonight |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | a-nochd [əˈn̪ˠɔ̃xg] = tonight |
| Manx (Gaelg) | noght = tonight |
| Proto-Brythonic | *hanoɨθ = tonight |
| Old Welsh (Kembraec) | nos = night henoid = tonight |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | nos = night nosa, nossi, nosi = to become night, fall (of night) nossavl, nossol, nosawl = nightlike, nocturnal, nightly nos hon, noshon, nosson = evening, night nosweith, nossweith, noswaith = evening, night heno = tonight |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | nos [noːs] = night, evening, darkness (of night), vigil nosi, nosáu = to become night, fall (of night) nosaidd = nightlike nosol = nightlike, nocturnal, nightly noson = evening, night noswaith = evening, night heno = tonight |
| Old Cornish | nos = night |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | nos, nôs = night haneth = tonight |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | nos = night nosweyth = night-time, at night noswiker = smuggler haneth = tonight |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | nos = night |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | nos = night fenozh, fennos, fenoz, fin-noz = tonight antronoz all = the day after tomorrow |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | noz [ˈnoːs] = night noziñ [ˈnoːzĩ] = to get dark nozvezh [ˈnoz.vɛs] = overnight stay, duration of one night nozik = a little dark henoazh = tonight eil tronoz = the day after tomorrow |
Etymology: either from Latin nox, from Proto-Italic *nokts (night), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (night). Or via Proto-Celtic *noxs (night), from the same PIE root [source].
Words from the same roots include night in English, Nacht (night) in German, ochtend (morning) in Dutch, otta (dawn, early morning) in Swedish, ακτίνα (aktína – light ray, sunbeam) in Greek [source]
Sources: Wiktionary, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, Teanglann.ie, Am Faclair Beag, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Fockleyreen: Manx – English Dictionary, Online Manx Dictionary, Gaelg Corpus, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall, Gerlyver Kernewek, Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton, Geriafurch, TermOfis
