Saturday
/ˈsæt.ə.deɪ/
noun
Origin
Latin
Sāturnus — Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture)
Overview
Meaning Now
- The seventh day of the week, following Friday and preceding Sunday.
Literal older meaning
Day of Saturn
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Latin → Old English → Modern English
Earliest form
Sæternesdæg
Earliest period
Old English period (around 1000 AD)
Journey
Saturday is the only day of the week in English that retains its Roman origin in its name, honoring the god Saturn. Most other days of the week were renamed after Germanic deities (like Woden or Thor) to replace the Roman planet-based names.
Evolution
- Latin
diēs Sāturnī
“day of Saturn”
Original Roman naming convention.
- West Germanic
*Sæturnesdagaz
“Saturn's day”
Adopted into Germanic languages via calque.
- Old English
Sæternesdæg
“Saturn's day”
Standard Old English form.
- Middle English
Saterday
“Saturday”
Phonetic simplification.
Connections
Word parts
Sater
root
Saturn
day
root
day
Related across languages
Dutch
zaterdag
Saturday
Frisian
sneon
Saturday
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Related to Saturday
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.