midniht

Old English

Alternative forms

• middeniht, middeneaht, midderneaht, middelniht

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *midjanahts.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmidˌnixt/, [ˈmidˌniçt]

Noun

midniht f

1. midnight
2. the middle of the night

Usage notes

• In cases other than the strong nominative singular, the prefix usually becomes the adjective midd and is inflected: tō midre niht (“at midnight,” cf. Old High German zi mitteru naht “at midnight” → German Mitternacht “midnight”). Middæġ (“noon”), midsumor (“midsummer”), and midwinter (“midwinter”) work the same way.

Declension

Strong consonant stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	midniht	midda niht, midde niht
accusative	midde niht	midda niht, midde niht
genitive	midre niht	midra nihta
dative	midre niht	middum nihtum

Descendants

• Middle English: midnight, mydnyght
  • English: midnight