dag

Forms

dag m (plural dagen, diminutive dagje n or daagje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch dach, inherited from Old Dutch dag, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *dag, inherited from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (“day”).^[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon dag, Old High German tag (modern German Tag), Old Frisian dei (modern West Frisian dei), Old English dæġ (modern English day), Old Norse dagr (modern Swedish dag) and Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍃 (dags).^[2][4][3] A form with a long vowel, ⟨*dōg-⟩, stands beside it in Old Norse dœgr (“half a day”) and Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐌳𐍉𐌲𐍃 (fidurdōgs, “lasting four days”).^[2][3]

The further origin is debated.^[1] The EWN and De Vries connect it with the root Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”), the original sense being “the time when the sun is hot”; related words would be Latin favilla (“ash”), foveō (“to warm”), Old Prussian dagis (“summer”) and Old Irish daig (“fire”).^[2][4][5] Wiktionary notes that the loss of the labial element would be irregular, and Kroonen instead sets up a root *dʰeǵʰ- (“day”), from which he also derives Sanskrit अहर् (ahar, “day”).^[1][3] Franck–Van Wijk and Van Haeringen already weighed the link with this Sanskrit word.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch dag is found in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, in many forms: dag dages ut ropizot uuort, “day unto day utters speech”.^[2][8] There it means the light part of the day, as against the night, and allan dag “all day long” means “continually”.^[8] Middle Dutch dach is recorded from about 1200 in Limburg.^[9]

Semantic evolution

In 13th-century texts dach meant daylight, the time the sun is up, a full day and night, a calendar day and a period of time.^[9] Bi daghe meant “by day”.^[9] The verb dagen “to dawn” is recorded from about 1240.^[2] Many old phrases go back to the Bible: de jongste dag is the Day of Judgement, with jongst in the old sense “last”.^[10]

From the 16th century dag en nacht “day and night” stood for “continually”, and verschillen als dag en nacht for complete difference.^[11] The greeting dag, short for goedendag, is recorded from 1859.^[12][1] Several phrases were translated from Latin or French: pluk de dag from carpe diem, op zijn oude dag from sur ses vieux jours.^[13]

The greeting was borrowed into Indonesian as dadah, into Javanese and Ambonese Malay, and into Frisian.^[14] The noun went into Negerhollands, Berbice Dutch and Saramaccan, and lives on in Afrikaans dag.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch dag appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[2][8][12]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch dach is first recorded, in Limburg.^[9]
• c. 1240 – The verb dagen “to dawn” appears.^[2]
• 1557 – Dach ende nacht “day and night”, i.e. at all times.^[11]
• 1794 – Verschillen als dag en nacht “to differ completely”.^[11]
• 1859 – Dag as a greeting is first recorded.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. day, the time between sunrise and sunset; daytime: Overdag slaapt de uil.^[15][16][1]
2. A day of 24 hours, as a unit of time and for dates: Ze bleef drie dagen in Gent.^[15][16]
3. daylight, in phrases such as voor de dag komen “to come out, appear”.^[15][16]
4. (in compounds) An assembly or diet, originally held on a fixed day, as in landdag and rijksdag.^[1]

Interjection

1. Hello, or goodbye; often drawn out as dáág.^[15][1]

Word family

• dagboek
• dagelijks
• dageraad
• eendagsvlieg
• goedendag
• bedaagd
• daags
• dagen
• middag
• zondag
• maandag
• dagtekenen
• alledag
• vandaag

Related words

• English day
• German Tag

Usage notes

Two other words are spelled dag.^[4] A dag or dagge was a short piece of rope with which offenders were flogged on board ship (1623); its origin is unknown, and it was borrowed into Swedish as dagg.^[11][4][14] An older dag “dagger” (1351–1400) was taken from French dague.^[12][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 97
6. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ a b c d Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
11. ^ a b c d Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ a b c d Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
14. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
16. ^ a b c Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org