Origin and history of nightingale

late Old English niht (West Saxon neaht, Anglian næht, neht) "the dark part of a day; the night as a unit of time; darkness," also "absence of spiritual illumination, moral darkness, ignorance," from Proto-Germanic *nahts (source also of Old Saxon and Old High German naht, Old Frisian and Dutch nacht, German Nacht, Old Norse natt, Gothic nahts).

The Germanic words are from PIE *nekwt- "night" (source also of Greek nyx "a night," Latin nox, Old Irish nochd, Sanskrit naktam "at night," Lithuanian naktis "night," Old Church Slavonic nosti, Russian noch', Welsh henoid "tonight"), according to Watkins, probably from a verbal root *neg- "to be dark, be night." For spelling with -gh- see fight. The vowel indicates that the modern English word derives from oblique cases (genitive nihte, dative niht).

The fact that the Aryans have a common name for night, but not for day (q.v.), is due to the fact that they reckoned by nights. [Weekley]

Thus in Old English combinations night was "the night before (a certain day or feast day);" compare German Weihnachten "Christmas," literally "holy night." In early times, the day was held to begin at sunset, so Old English monanniht "Monday night" was the night before Monday, or what we would call Sunday night; so saeterniht "Friday night." Thomas à Becket's Wednes-night (Old English Wodnes-niht) would be our Tuesday night. The Greeks, by contrast, counted their days by mornings.

To work nights preserves the Old English genitive of time. Night soil "excrement" (1770) is so called because it was removed (from cesspools, etc.) after dark. Night train is attested from 1838; night-school from 1520s; night-life "habitual nocturnal carousing" is attested from 1852.

early 13c., supersticioun, "false religious belief or system, worship of pagan gods; ignorant fear of the unknown and mysterious, irrational faith in supernatural powers," from Latin superstitionem (nominative superstitio) "prophecy, soothsaying; dread of the supernatural, excessive fear of the gods, religious belief based on fear or ignorance and considered incompatible with truth or reason." This is, etymologically, "a standing over." It is noun of action from the past-participle stem of superstare "stand on or over; survive," from super "above" (see super-) + stare "to stand" (from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm").

There are many theories to explain the Latin sense development, but none has yet been generally accepted; de Vaan suggests the sense is "cause to remain in existence." Buck thinks it "perhaps best" interpreted as standing stiff or stunned in awe.

The Greek word (deisidaimonia) means "fear of supernatural power," from an adjective meaning both "pious" and "superstitious" (ancient pagans as well distinguished "religion" from "superstition"). The Latin word is glossed in Old English by æfgælþ, from af- "off" (see off; used here with pejorative or negative force) + a derivative of galan "sing, chant" (see yell (v.) and compare second element in nightingale; also compare Old English afgod, "idol; false god," literally "off-god").

The weakened sense of "tenaciously held unreasonable notion" is by 1794.