Meaning and Origin
What does the name Day mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Day
User Submitted Origins
English
69%
Welsh
15%
Irish
8%
Korean
8%
User Submitted Meanings
- A user from Illinois, U.S. says the name Day is of Welsh origin and means "Welsh and Anglo Saxon in origin The Celtic and Gaelic word deag or dagh signifies good, excellent, the same as Da, in Welsh. Camden supposes the name to be a contraction of David. Dai, Du, in the Welsh, signifies dark, in allusion to the complexion or color of the hair. Dim, in Gaelic, the same, dark color, black. Deah, Anglo--Saxon, dark, obscure. See Dee/Day. 2. A tradition states that a follower of the Conqueror settled at Eye in Suffolk, and assumed therefrom the name of D'Eye or Deye. See David".
- According to a user from the United Kingdom, the name Day is of Irish origin and means "Derived name 'David'. It can also be traced back to a nickname for working dairymaids. It is both a common Irish and Welsh surname, mainly of Irish origin though".
- According to a user from Illinois, U.S., the name Day is of Welsh origin and means "Variant of Dee. Named after an ancestor along the river dee in Scotland/Wales".
- A submission from Iran, Islamic Republic of says the name Day means "Capricorn, January".
- A user from South Carolina, U.S. says the name Day means "Light and hope".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Day
Senses
- The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time between sunrise and sunset, or from dawn to darkness; hence, the light; sunshine; -- also called daytime.
- The period of the earth's revolution on its axis. -- ordinarily divided into twenty-four hours. It is measured by the interval between two successive transits of a celestial body over the same meridian, and takes a specific name from that of the body. Thus, if this is the sun, the day (the interval between two successive transits of the sun's center over the same meridian) is called a solar day; if it is a star, a sidereal day; if it is the moon, a lunar day. See Civil day Sidereal day, below.
- Those hours, or the daily recurring period, allotted by usage or law for work.
- A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time."A man who was great among the Hellenes of his day." [Jowett (Thucyd. )]"If my debtors do not keep their day, . . . I must with patience all the terms attend." [Dryden.]
- Preceded by the) Some day in particular, as some day of contest, some anniversary, etc."The field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus." [Shak.]"His name struck fear, his conduct won the day." [Roscommon.]
Note: ☞ Day is much used in self-explaining compounds; as, daybreak, daylight, work day, etc.
Etymology: OE. day dai dei, AS. dæg; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dahfor dhagh ?) to burn. √69. Cf. Dawn
Other Dictionary Sources
- United States writer best known for his autobiographical works (1874-1935)
- A period of opportunity ("he deserves his day in court" and "every dog has his day")
- Some point or period in time ("it should arrive any day now", "after that day she never trusted him again", "those were the days", and "these days it is not unusual")
- The recurring hours when you are not sleeping (especially those when you are working) ("my day began early this morning", "it was a busy day on the stock exchange", and "she called it a day and went to bed")
- Time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis ("two days later they left", "they put on two performances every day", and "there are 30,000 passengers per day")
- A day assigned to a particular purpose or observance ("Mother's Day")
- The time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside ("the dawn turned night into day" and "it is easier to make the repairs in the daytime")
- The time for one complete rotation of the earth relative to a particular star, about 4 minutes shorter than a mean solar day
- The period of time taken by a particular planet (e.g. Mars) to make a complete rotation on its axis ("how long is a day on Jupiter?")
- An era of existence or influence ("in the day of the dinosaurs", "in the days of the Roman Empire", "in the days of sailing ships", and "he was a successful pianist in his day")
Wiktionary
From Middle English day, from Old English dæġ (“day”), from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (“day”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Dai (“day”), West Frisian dei (“day”), Dutch dag (“day”), Low German Dag (“day”), German Tag (“day”), Swedish, Norwegian and Danish dag (“day”), Icelandic dagur (“day”). Cognate also with Albanian djeg (“to burn”), Lithuanian degti (“to burn”), Tocharian A tsäk-, Russian жечь (žečʹ, “to burn”), дёготь (djógotʹ, “tar, pitch”), Sanskrit दाह (dāha, “heat”), दहति (dahati, “to burn”), Latin foveō (“to warm, keep warm, incubate”).
Latin diēs is a false cognate; it derives from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- (“to shine”).
- Any period of 24 hours.
- I've been here for two and a bit.
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- A period from midnight to the following midnight.
- The begins at midnight.
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- (astronomy) Rotational period of a planet (especially Earth).
- A on Mars is slightly over 24 hours.
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- The part of a day period which one spends at one’s job, school, etc.
- I worked two last week.
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- Part of a day period between sunrise and sunset where one enjoys daylight; daytime.
- and night; I work at night and sleep during the .
- Antonyms: night
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- A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time.
- Every dog has its .
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- A period of contention of a day or less.
- The belonged to the Allies.
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day was also found in the following language(s): Cebuano, Kalasha, Middle English, and Scots