Etymology Map
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Sunday

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means the day of the week before Monday, the Christian day of worship

Where does the word "sunday" come from? It comes from Latin dies Solis, passing through Old English before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
dies Solis
Latin · classical
"Sun's day"
'day of the Sun'; Emperor Constantine made it an official day of rest in AD 321
2
Stage 2 of 3
Sunnandæg
Old English · medieval
"Sun's day"
a direct translation of the Latin name, while Romance languages switched to 'the Lord's day' (French dimanche, Italian domenica)
3
Stage 3 of 3
Sunday
English · 1200s
"first day of the week"
Robert Raikes's Sunday schools, begun in Gloucester in 1780, taught working children to read on their one day off
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Read the full story

Sunday’s story begins in Latin: dies Solis meant “Sun's day.” 'day of the Sun'; Emperor Constantine made it an official day of rest in AD 321. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as Sunnandæg. A direct translation of the Latin name, while Romance languages switched to 'the Lord's day' (French dimanche, Italian domenica). It reached English by 1200s as Sunday. Robert Raikes's Sunday schools, begun in Gloucester in 1780, taught working children to read on their one day off. Today, sunday means the day of the week before Monday, the Christian day of worship.