Etymologically
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diurnus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word diurnus

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (diēs)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [diˈʊr.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [diˈur.nus][1]

Forms

diurnus (feminine diurna, neuter diurnum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from earlier *diusnus, with /s/ becoming /r/ between vowels, from diūs, an old form of diēs “day”, and the adjective suffix -nus.[1][2][3] The OLD analyses it as diēs and -urnus.[4] It is formed like interdiū “by day”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, in the Menaechmi, has a character say they will drink until tomorrow's day-star.[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense was of the day as opposed to night, as Cicero's fears by day and night and Caesar's marches by day and night.[4] It also meant daily, as Cicero speaks of daily habit and Sallust of daily pay, and lasting a single day.[4] Lewis & Short note the daily sense is perhaps not earlier than Augustus.[2] The neuter diurnum was a daily ration or an account-book, and Suetonius says Caesar had the daily proceedings of the senate and people, diurna ācta, recorded and published.[2]

In medieval Latin it meant continuous or long-lasting, and as a masculine noun a land measure.[7] A Vulgar Latin noun *diurnum “day” gave Old French journée, and so English journey, while English sojourn is from *subdiurnāre “to spend the day”.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the day-star.[4][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of fears by day and daily habit.[4][6]
  • c. 1200 – English journey is recorded, from Old French journée.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of the day, by day, diurnal.[4][1]
  2. Daily.[4][1]
  3. Lasting one day.[4]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Continuous, long-lasting.[7]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A land measure.[7]

Word family

  • diurnō
  • diurnum
  • diurnālis
  • diurnārius
  • diurnē

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Diurnus.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/diurnus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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