Where does “dayworker” come from?

dayworker (English) comes from English Day, from Middle English day, from Old English dæġ, from Proto-West Germanic dag, from Proto-Germanic dagaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- — to burn; warm, hot.

dayworker (English): An employee paid on an irregular basis; a casual...

Definitions

  1. An employee paid on an irregular basis; a casual...

Ancestry of “dayworker”, step by step

dayworker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Day

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDayderived from a medieval diminutive of David
2Middle Englishdayday; daylight, sunlight; epoch, age, period
3Old Englishdæġday, daytime
4Proto-West Germanicdagday
5Proto-Germanicdagazday; name of the D-rune
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot

via English worker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishworkerA person who performs labor for a living,...
2Middle Englishwerkere—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic dagaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic dag →