Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Saturday” come from?

Saturday comes from Middle English Saterday and Old English sæterdæg, meaning "day of Saturn," from Old English Sætern derived from Latin Saturnus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ-.

Saturday (English): The seventh day of the week in many religious...

Definitions

  1. The seventh day of the week in many religious...

Ancestry of “Saturday”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishSaterdaySaturday
2Old EnglishsæternesdægSaturday; the seventh day of the week
3Proto-West Germanic*Sāturnas dag—
4Latindies Saturniday of Saturn
5Sanskritशनिवारof the planet Saturn
6SanskritवारAlternative form of वाल; keeping back,...
7Sanskritवर"environing", "enclosing", circumference, space,...
8Sanskritवीरman, especially a brave or eminent man, hero,...
9Proto-Indo-Iranianwīrás—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
11Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “Saturday”

  • Sat
  • Saturdaying
  • Sa
  • Small Business Saturday
  • Sarere
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →