nocturnal
nok-TUR-nuhl · adjective
Origin
From Middle French nocturnal, from Latin nocturnālis, itself from nocturnus, an adjective built on nox, meaning "night." Nox traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *nókʷts, also meaning "night."
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Journey
The word has stayed close to its root meaning throughout — it has always described something belonging to or happening in the night.
Related words
It shares its deep root with English "night" itself, both descending from the same Proto-Indo-European word *nókʷts — as do Ancient Greek νύξ, Sanskrit नक्ति, and Proto-Slavic *noťь.
More words
From Middle French