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Sun

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the star that the Earth orbits

Where does the word "sun" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic sunnǭ, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

sunnǭ→sunne→sun

Proto-Germanic · ancient

related to Latin 'sōl', as in 'solar'

Old English · 700s-1000s

feminine in Old English, as 'Sonne' still is in German; 'sunnandæg', sun's day, gave 'Sunday'

English · 1500s

'sunny' as 'cheerful' dates from the 1500s

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Sun’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: sunnǭ meant “sun.” Related to Latin 'sōl', as in 'solar'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as sunne. Feminine in Old English, as 'Sonne' still is in German; 'sunnandæg', sun's day, gave 'Sunday'. It reached English by 1500s as sun. 'sunny' as 'cheerful' dates from the 1500s. Today, sun means the star that the Earth orbits.