Etymology Map
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Dawn

3 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise

Where does the word "dawn" come from? It comes from Old English dagian, passing through Middle English before entering English (1590s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
dagian
Old English · medieval
"to become day"
'to become day', from dæg 'day'
2
Stage 2 of 3
dawing, dawning
Middle English · 1200s
"daybreak"
'dawing', the verbal noun for daybreak, was altered to 'dawning', perhaps under Norse influence
3
Stage 3 of 3
dawn
English · 1590s
"first light of day"
the verb 'dawn' was back-formed from 'dawning', and the noun followed in the 1590s
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Read the full story

Dawn’s story begins in Old English: dagian meant “to become day.” 'to become day', from dæg 'day'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as dawing, dawning. 'dawing', the verbal noun for daybreak, was altered to 'dawning', perhaps under Norse influence. It reached English by 1590s as dawn. The verb 'dawn' was back-formed from 'dawning', and the noun followed in the 1590s. Today, dawn means the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.