Re: the /twi/ in /twilight/ ?

Muke Tever wrote:
> caeruleancentaur wrote:
>>
>> "Nigh" is not related.  The "gh" is a remnant from the OE "neoh,"
>> near.  This "gh" is retained in our English word "neighbor." one who
>> dwells near.
>
> And "nigh" itself is just the positive of a series of familiar adjectives:
>
>       positive    |nigh|  (Old English néah)
>       comparative |near|  (i.e., 'nigher', OE néara)
>       superlative |next|  (i.e., 'nighest', OE níehsta)
>
> ...though nowadays "near" and "next" have lost their comparative and
> superlative force, and nigher and nighest have been recreated.
>
These look a lot like the German words:

nah    - near
näher  - nearer
nächst - nearest _or_ next

It is curious to see that these superlatives have changed their meaning
("nearest" -> "next") in both German and English.

This reminds me of:

a little bit (from the verb "to bite")
ein Bißchen  (from the verb "beißen")
een beetje   (from the verb "bijten")

The meaning of "a bit" etc. has become quite different from the meaning
of the verb it was originally derived from, but it fascinates me to see
that the same etymology occurs in English, German, *and* Dutch.

René

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