dæg

Old English

Alternative forms

• deġ — Mercian, Kentish
• deag, dœg, dæiġ

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *dagaz. Cognate with Old Frisian dei, Old Saxon dag, Old Dutch dag, Old High German tag, Old Norse dagr, Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍃 (dags).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dæj/

Noun

dæġ m (nominative plural dagas)

1. day, (usually) as a period from sunrise to sunset and (scientifically) as a 24-hour period from sunrise to sunrise

   Þā dagas bēoþ lange, ac þā ġēar bēoþ sċort.

   The days are long, but the years are short.

   • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

     Saga mē, on hū fela daga God ġeworhte ealle ġesceafta?'

     Tell me, in how many days did God create all creatures?

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The First Sunday in the Lord's Advent"

     Eac is gehwilcum men his endenexta dæg near and near; and se gemænelica dóm dæghwomlice genealæhð, on ðam underfehð anra gehwilc be ðam ðe hé geearnode on lichaman, swa gód swa yfel.

     Also to every man is his last day nearer and nearer; and the common doom approaches daily, at which every one will receive according to what he has merited in body, whether good or evil.

   • c. 994, Ælfric, The Seasons of the Year:

     Wē hātaþ ānne dæġ fram sunnan upgange oþ ǣfen, ac swā þēah is on bōcum ġeteald tō ānum dæġe fram þǣre sunnan upgange oþ þæt hēo eft becume þǣr hēo ǣr upp stāg. On þām fæce sind ġetealda fēower and twentiġ tīda.

     To us a day means from sunrise to sunset, but in books, one day is considered to last from when the sun rises to when it returns to where it started from. In that interval there are considered to be 24 hours.

2. the runic character ᛞ (/d/)

Declension

Synonyms

• dōgor

Derived terms

• dæġhwamlīċ
• dæġes ēage
• hēodæġ
• īdæġes
• ġēares dæġ
• ġeōdagas
• ġēoldæġ
• ġiestrandæġ
• on þissum dagum
• tōdæġ
• wintres dæġ

Descendants

• Middle English: day, dai, dæi, dey, daȝ, dæȝ, dei, daye, daȝȝ, daȝh, daiȝ, *dah
  • English: day
  • Scots: day
  • Yola: die, dei, dey, daie