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

Declension of midniht (strong consonant stem)

Case	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