different between nighttime vs why

English

Alternative forms

• night-time

Etymology

From Middle English nyght tyme, ny?ttyme, equivalent to night +? time. Compare Dutch nachttijd, German Nachtzeit, Danish nattetid, Swedish nattetid. Compare also Middle English ny?ter tyme (“nighttime”), from Old Norse náttartími, nætrtími (“nighttime”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?na?t?ta?m/, [?na??ta?m]

Noun

nighttime (countable and uncountable, plural nighttimes)

1. The hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise; the night.

Synonyms

• nightertale, nighttide; see also Thesaurus:nighttime

Antonyms

• day, daytime; see also Thesaurus:daytime

Derived terms

• night-times

Translations

Adjective

nighttime (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to nighttime; appropriate to the night.
2. Happening during the night.

Synonyms

• (pertaining to nighttime): night
• (happening during the night): night, nocturnal

Antonyms

• (pertaining to nighttime): day, daytime
• (happening during the night): daytime, diurnal

Translations

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English why, from Old English hw? (“why”), from Proto-Germanic *hw? (“by what, how”), from Proto-Indo-European *k?ey, instrumental case of *k?is (“who”), *k?id (“what”).

Cognate with Old Saxon hw? (“why”), hwiu (“how; why”), Middle High German wiu (“how, why”), archaic Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hvi (“why”), Norwegian Nynorsk kvi (“why”), Swedish vi (“why”), Faroese and Icelandic hví (“why”), Latin qu? (“why”), Ancient Greek ??? (peî, “where”). Compare Old English þ? (“because, since, on that account, therefore, then”, literally “by that, for that”). See thy.

Pronunciation

• enPR: hw?, w?, IPA^(key): /?a?/, /wa?/
• (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
• (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• Rhymes: -a?
• Homophones: wye, Y, y (all only in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Adverb

why (not comparable)

1. For what cause, reason, or purpose (interrogative adverb).
   1. Introducing a complete question.
      • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

        Why do you have a map of the world?

   2. Introducing a verb phrase (bare infinitive clause).

   3. Introducing a noun or other phrase.

2. For which cause, reason, or purpose (relative adverb).

Synonyms

• how come, wherefore, to what end

Translations

Noun

why (plural whys or why's)

1. reason

Synonyms

• wherefore

Translations

Interjection

why

1. An exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience.
   • 1724, Daniel Defoe, Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress

     “Why, child, I tell thee if I was thy mother I would not disown thee; don't you see I am as kind to you as if I was your mother?”

     Why, thank you!

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

why (plural whies)

1. (Britain, dialect) A young heifer.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grose to this entry?)

Further reading

• why in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• why in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• hwy, hwy.

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *sw?s (compare Breton c’hwi, Welsh chi, Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?i?/, /???/

Alternative forms

• hwi (Standard Written Form)

Pronoun

why

1. (Standard Cornish, Standard Written Form with Traditional Graphs) you (formal or plural)