Sunday
/ˈsʌndeɪ/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*sunnōn dagaz — Day of the sun
Overview
Meaning Now
- The first day of the week in many traditions, and the seventh day of the week in others, following Saturday.
Literal older meaning
Day of the Sun
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
Sunnandæg
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The name is a Germanic translation of the Latin 'dies solis' (day of the sun). In many Western cultures, it was associated with the Sun god before the widespread adoption of Christianity, where it later became the 'Lord's Day'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*sunnōn dagaz
“Day of the sun”
A translation of the Latin dies solis.
- Old English
Sunnandæg
“Sunday”
- Middle English
Sonday
“Sunday”
Connections
Word parts
sun
root
the celestial body
day
root
the period of light
Related across languages
German
Sonntag
Sunday
Dutch
zondag
Sunday
Swedish
söndag
Sunday
Related words
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Related to Sunday
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.