- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Compound
- First attested
- c. 1250
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/[1]
Etymology
It is formed from sun and shine.[2][3][4] Old English had sunnanscīma, sunshine, while sunscīn meant a mirror.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The shining of the sun, fair weather: about 1250 in the OED, the mid-13th century in Etymonline.[5][2]
Semantic evolution
Figuratively, brightness, cheerfulness or a beneficial influence is from the late 16th century (1593–95).[2][5] A spell of sunshine is from 1601.[5] A happy person who brightens others' lives, and the familiar form of address sunshine, are from 1942.[2][5] US sunshine laws, requiring open government meetings, are from 1972.[2] The nickname Sunshine State was first claimed by New Mexico (1890) and is now usually Florida's.[2]
Timeline
- c. 1250 – the shining of the sun.[5]
- 1593 – happiness, prosperity.[5]
- 1601 – a sunny spell.[5]
- 1942 – a cheerful person; a form of address.[2]
- 1972 – sunshine law.[2]
Modern meaning
Noun
- Direct light and warmth from the sun.
- Cheerfulness, happiness or good fortune.
- (British, informal) Used as a familiar form of address.
Word family
- sunshiny
- sunshineless
- Sunshine State
- sunshine law
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry
“Sunshine.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sunshine. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Last edited on . ·