yesterday
/ˈjɛstərdeɪ/
adverb and noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
gester- + dagaz — yesterday's day
Overview
Meaning Now
- on the day before today
- the day before the present day
Literal older meaning
the day of yesterday
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
ġiestran dæġ
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word is a cognate across Germanic languages, stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root related to 'yester' (yester-), which can be traced back to *gʰyés- meaning 'yesterday'.
Evolution
- Old English
ġiestran dæġ
“the day before”
Compound of ġiestran (yester) and dæġ (day)
- Middle English
yesterday
“the day before today”
Standardized spelling established
Connections
Word parts
yester-
root
previous day
day
root
day
Related across languages
German
gestern
yesterday
Dutch
gisteren
yesterday
Old Norse
í gær
yesterday
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Related to yesterday
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.