yesterday English · revision 2695

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 950|origins=gem-pro *gestra-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈjes.tə.deɪ/, /ˈjes.tə.di/, US /ˈjes.tɚ.deɪ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|yisterday]],^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|ġeostran dæġ]], a compound of [[m|ang|ġeostran|t=yesterday]] and dæġ “day”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) the source of [[yester-]] and [[day]].^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) Old English ġeostran is found by itself only once,^(Barnhart 1988) but it has cognates in Dutch gisteren and German gestern, from [[gem-pro|*gestra-]],^(Barnhart 1988) and outside Germanic in Latin herī “yesterday” and hesternus, Greek khthés and Sanskrit hyás, from [[ine-pro|*ǵʰyés]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Other Germanic languages tend to use their form of yester- alone; the only known parallel compound is Gothic gistradagis, which meant “tomorrow”.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ As an adverb, “on the day before today”: Old English, about 950;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the noun is from about 1000.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) Old English ġeostran is found about 725, in ''Beowulf''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The transferred sense “a short time ago, recent times” is from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) 1387 for the adverb and 1382 for the noun in the OED.^(OED 1989) ''Yesterday's man'', a politician whose career is over, is from 1966,^(OED 1989) and ''to want something yesterday'', “immediately”, by 1974.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) ''Yesteryear'' was coined by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1870, translating Villon's antan.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – Old English ġeostran.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 950 – adverb, on the day before.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1000 – noun.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * late 14th century – recent times.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1870 – ''yesteryear''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1966 – ''yesterday's man''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1974 – ''want it yesterday''.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # On the [[day]] before today.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A short time ago; in the recent past.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The day before today.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The recent [[past]].^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # ''yesterdays'': Past times.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[yesterdayness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[yester]]

+ * [[yesterevening]]

+ * [[yestern]]

+ * [[yesternight]]

+ * [[yesternoon]]

+ * [[yesteryear]]

+ * [[yestreen]]

+ * [[yester-]]

+ * [[day]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}