Tuesday
/ˈtjuːzdeɪ/
noun
Origin
Old English
Tīwesdæg — Day of the Germanic god Tiw
Overview
Meaning Now
- The day of the week following Monday and preceding Wednesday.
Literal older meaning
Day of Tiw
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Modern English
Earliest form
Tīwesdæg
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
Tuesday is named after Tiw (or Tyr), the Germanic god of single combat and heroic glory, who is equivalent to the Roman god Mars. This reflects the 'interpretatio germanica' where Germanic speakers translated Latin week-day names, replacing the Roman god of war, Mars, with their own war deity.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*Tīwas dagaz
“Day of the god Tiw”
A calque of Latin 'dies Martis'
- Old English
Tīwesdæg
“The day of Tiw”
Inherited directly from Germanic roots
- Middle English
Tewesday
“Tuesday”
Spelling stabilized during the transition
Connections
Word parts
Tiw
root
Germanic god of war and justice
dæg
root
day
Related across languages
Old Norse
Týs-dagr
Tuesday
Dutch
dinsdag
Tuesday
German
Dienstag
Tuesday
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Related to Tuesday
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.