Etymology Map
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Easter

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus

Where does the word "easter" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic *austrōn, passing through Old English before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
*austrōn
Proto-Germanic · prehistoric
"dawn"
'dawn', from the same root as 'east' and Latin aurora
2
Stage 2 of 3
Ēastre
Old English · 725
"Easter; April"
Bede, writing in 725 at Jarrow, says the spring month Eostur-monath was named after a goddess Eostre; no other source mentions her
3
Stage 3 of 3
Easter
English · 1200s
"festival of the resurrection"
English and German (Ostern) are nearly alone among European languages in not naming the feast after Hebrew Pesach, as French Pâques and Spanish Pascua do
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Read the full story

Easter’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: *austrōn meant “dawn.” 'dawn', from the same root as 'east' and Latin aurora. By 725, the word had taken hold in Old English as Ēastre. Bede, writing in 725 at Jarrow, says the spring month Eostur-monath was named after a goddess Eostre; no other source mentions her. It reached English by 1200s as Easter. English and German (Ostern) are nearly alone among European languages in not naming the feast after Hebrew Pesach, as French Pâques and Spanish Pascua do. Today, easter means the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.