Thanksgiving
/ˈθæŋksɡɪvɪŋ/
noun
Origin
Old English
thancas + giefan — thoughts/gratitude + to give
Overview
Meaning Now
- The act of expressing gratitude, especially to God.
- An annual national holiday in the United States and Canada, celebrated as a day of feasting and gratitude for the harvest and other blessings of the past year.
Literal older meaning
the act of giving thanks
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
thanksgiving
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The modern holiday in North America is rooted in English traditions of 'days of thanksgiving'—religious services thanking God for events like bountiful harvests or military victory. The 1621 gathering in Plymouth, Massachusetts, between Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people was later mythologized and codified into the national holiday, particularly during the American Civil War era.
Evolution
- Old English
thanc + giefan
“expression of gratitude”
Separate components used in phrases.
- Middle English
thankes-gyvinge
“giving thanks”
Beginnings of a unified compound form.
- Early Modern English
thanksgiving
“religious expression of gratitude”
Standardized spelling.
- Modern English
Thanksgiving
“annual public holiday”
Capitalized as a proper noun for the specific holiday.
Connections
Word parts
thanks
root
gratitude
giving
root
the act of bestowing
Related across languages
German
Danksagung
thanksgiving
Dutch
dankzegging
thanksgiving
Related words
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Related to Thanksgiving
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.