Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “guten Tag” come from?

guten Tag (German) comes from Alemannic German Tag, from Middle High German tac, from Old High German tag, from Proto-West Germanic dag, from Proto-Germanic dagaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- — to burn; warm, hot.

guten Tag (German): hello, good day, good afternoon

Definitions

  1. hello, good day, good afternoon

Ancestry of “guten Tag”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Alemannic GermanTagday
2Middle High GermantacAlternative form of tag
3Old High Germantagday
4Proto-West Germanicdagday
5Proto-Germanicdagazday; name of the D-rune
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →