Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “doomsday” come from?

Doomsday derives from Middle English domes dai, combining Middle English dom (judgment) with Middle English day, from Old English dæġ, from Proto-West Germanic dag, from Proto-Germanic dagaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʰ-.

doomsday (English): The day when God is expected to judge the world;...

Definitions

  1. The day when God is expected to judge the world;...

Ancestry of “doomsday”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdaiAlternative form of day
2Old Englishdægday, as a period from sunrise to sunset and as...
3Proto-West Germanicdagday
4Proto-Germanicdagazday; name of the D-rune
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot

Words derived from “doomsday”

  • doomsdayism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →