Etymology Map
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Anniversary

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means the date on which an event took place in a previous year

Where does the word "anniversary" come from? It comes from Latin anniversarius, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
anniversarius
Latin · classical
"yearly"
'returning yearly', from annus 'year' + vertere 'to turn'
2
Stage 2 of 3
anniversarium
Medieval Latin · medieval
"yearly memorial Mass"
a yearly Mass for a dead person on the day of death, which the rich paid for in their wills
3
Stage 3 of 3
anniversary
English · 1200s
"yearly commemoration"
widened to any yearly commemoration; the custom of 'silver' and 'golden' wedding anniversaries is recorded from the 1800s
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Anniversary’s story begins in Latin: anniversarius meant “yearly.” 'returning yearly', from annus 'year' + vertere 'to turn'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as anniversarium. A yearly Mass for a dead person on the day of death, which the rich paid for in their wills. It reached English by 1200s as anniversary. Widened to any yearly commemoration; the custom of 'silver' and 'golden' wedding anniversaries is recorded from the 1800s. Today, anniversary means the date on which an event took place in a previous year.