saga

Where does the word "saga" come from? It comes from Old Norse saga, and was adopted directly into English (1700s-1800s).

Saga’s story begins in Old Norse: saga meant “a story, tale.” Meaning "a story" or "a telling". It reached English by 1700s-1800s as saga. Old Norse 'what is said', related to 'say'; the Icelandic family sagas were written in the 1200s. Today, saga means a long story of heroic achievement, or a lengthy, involved series of events.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval saga "a story, tale", meaning "a story" or "a telling".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s-1800s saga "a long, heroic prose narrative", Old Norse 'what is said', related to 'say'; the Icelandic family sagas were written in the 1200s.