yesterday

Where does the word "yesterday" come from? It comes from Proto-Indo-European *ghyés, passing through Old English before entering English (1200s).

Yesterday’s story begins in Proto-Indo-European: *ghyés meant “yesterday.” The reconstructed root for 'yesterday', which also gave Latin heri and Greek khthés. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as geostran dæg. 'yester day', with geostran surviving only in compounds. It reached English by 1200s as yesterday. The Beatles' 1965 song 'Yesterday' is listed by Guinness World Records as one of the most covered songs ever. Today, yesterday means on the day before today.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Indo-European · prehistoric *ghyés "yesterday", the reconstructed root for 'yesterday', which also gave Latin heri and Greek khthés.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · medieval geostran dæg "the day before", 'yester day', with geostran surviving only in compounds.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s yesterday "the day before today", the Beatles' 1965 song 'Yesterday' is listed by Guinness World Records as one of the most covered songs ever.