nyʒter-tale

n.

'night-time' (Modern English )

Etymology

The form of this compound, with apparent ON gen. -ar,  is usually explained as an alteration of the ON compound represented by OIcel náttarþel 'darkest part of the night' (< earlier *nahtarþel) with native lexemes substituted for each element (þel has been confused with ME -tale < OE talu); cp. also OIcel náttartími 'nighttime'. The use of the gen. and the particular combination of elements are not found in OE compounds for night-time (e.g. ǣfentīdǣfentīma). OE did have a (rare) compound nihternness 'night-time', and so the first element could conceivably have been reanalysed as nihter. However the existence of a more commonly occuring adv. nihterne 'by night' perhaps makes this a less likely possibility, and it would not explain the otherwise odd second element.

PGmc Ancestor

*naxt- *þel

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

náttarþel 'darkest part of the night'
(ONP náttarþel)

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

C4

Attestation

Attested from a range of texts, incl. Chaucer, from c. 1300 onwards.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 324

Bibliography

MED nighter-tāle (n.) , OED3 nightertale (n.) , HTOED