Etymology Map
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Wednesday

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means the day of the week after Tuesday

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

1
Stage 1 of 3
dies Mercurii
Latin · classical
"Mercury's day"
'day of Mercury', the messenger god, still kept in French mercredi and Italian mercoledì
2
Stage 2 of 3
Wōdnesdæg
Old English · medieval
"Woden's day"
Mercury was matched with Woden (Norse Odin), chief of the Germanic gods; Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies traced their kings back to Woden
3
Stage 3 of 3
Wednesday
English · 1200s
"fourth day of the week"
the spelling still keeps Woden's d, though it fell silent in speech
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Read the full story

Wednesday’s story begins in Latin: dies Mercurii meant “Mercury's day.” 'day of Mercury', the messenger god, still kept in French mercredi and Italian mercoledì. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as Wōdnesdæg. Mercury was matched with Woden (Norse Odin), chief of the Germanic gods; Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies traced their kings back to Woden. It reached English by 1200s as Wednesday. The spelling still keeps Woden's d, though it fell silent in speech. Today, wednesday means the day of the week after Tuesday.