The English language days of the week are named after celestial bodies and mythological figures from history. A mish-mash of cultures and traditions have had an influence on the naming of the days and for those of us studying the English language they provide a fascinating insight into the way that the language is formed.
English draws upon Ancient Greek, Latin and Germanic languages and these influences can all be seen in the names of the days of the week. We use them everyday without realizing just how much they tell us about our language and history, and they serve to show us the similarities between English and so many other European languages.
So let’s take a look at the seven days of the week and how they came to be named.
Greek and Roman gods
The original order of the days, between the 1st and 3rd centuries, was Sun, Moon, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronos. These were named after the heavenly bodies that presided over the first daylight hour of each day, according to Hellenistic astrology. From Greece the planetary week names passed to the Romans, from Latin to other languages of southern and western Europe and to other languages later influenced by them.
Why did the Romans name the days of the week after their gods’ names for the planets? Because they saw a connection between their gods and the changing face of the nighttime sky. The ones they were able to see in the sky each night were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Those five planets plus the moon and sun made seven major astronomical bodies so it was natural to use these seven names when the seven-day week arrived.
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Sunday
The first day of the week was named after the sun – dies Solis – day of the sun in Latin and later Sunnon-dagaz in old Germanic. It’s easy to see where the English word Sunday comes from here.
Monday
It’s similarly easy to see where this weekday name originates too. Monday is the moon day – dies Lunae in Latin, becoming Mon(an)dæg in Old English.
Tuesday
Whereas most English days of the week retain their associations with the Roman gods, some were substituted for the names of the equivalent Germanic gods, because English is a Germanic language.
Tuesday was named for the Roman god of war, Mars, so in Latin was known as dies Martis. However, the Germanic god of war was known as Tiu and the English day of the week is derived from this Germanic god’s name instead, first known as Tiwsday and eventually Tuesday.
Wednesday
Similarly, the Germanic equivalent of the Roman god Mercury was the equally as swift Woden. And so this day, which started out in Latin as dies Mercurii became Woden’s day in old Germanic, eventually becoming Wednesday in English.
Thursday
Jupiter, also known as Jove, is the supreme Roman god and patron of the Roman state. He is the god that created thunder and lightning. Thor is the Norse god of thunder, often shown riding through the sky in a chariot. And it’s from this Norse god that we see the Latin dies Jovis (day of Jupiter) become Thor’s day and eventually Thursday.
Friday
Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty, and in Latin her day was known as dies Veneris. We get the English name for Venus’ day from Frigg, the Norse goddess of love and the heavens, and possibly Fria, the Teutonic goddess of love and beauty. In Germanic we have Frije-dagaz, later becoming Friday in English.
Saturday
We end with an easy one. Saturn is the Roman god of agriculture, known in Ancient Greece as Cronos. In Latin we have dies Saturni and it’s not hard to see that Saturday today is still very much Saturn’s day.
FAQs
The Romans named the days of the week after the Sun and the Moon and five planets, which were also the names of their gods. The gods and planets were Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.
What is the origin of the days names in English? ›
The days were named after the classical planets of Hellenistic astrology, in the order: Sun (Helios), Moon (Selene), Mars (Ares), Mercury (Hermes), Jupiter (Zeus), Venus (Aphrodite), and Saturn (Cronus). The seven-day week spread throughout the Roman Empire in late antiquity.
Why is Tuesday called Tuesday? ›
The English name is derived from Middle English Tewesday, from Old English Tiwesdæg meaning "Tīw's Day", the day of Tiw or Týr, the god of single combat, law, and justice in Norse mythology. Tiw was equated with Mars in the interpretatio germanica, and the name of the day is a translation of Latin dies Martis.
What is the origin of the 7 day week? ›
Our use of the seven-day week can be traced back to the astronomically gifted Babylonians and the decree of King Sargon I of Akkad around 2300 BCE. They venerated the number seven, and before telescopes the key celestial bodies numbered seven (the Sun, the Moon and the five planets visible to the naked eye).
Why is Friday called Friday? ›
The first records of the word Friday come from before 1000. It comes from the Old English Frīgedæg, meaning “Freya's day.” In Latin, the name for the day we call Friday is dies Veneris, meaning “Venus's day,” referring to the Roman goddess of love.
Why is Monday called Monday? ›
The English name for Monday comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Mōnandæg, which loosely means “the moon's day.” Mōna is the word for moon in Old English. The second day of the week has been classified as the moon's day since Babylonian times.
Why is Wednesday called Wednesday? ›
The Old English word for Wednesday indicates that the day was named for the Germanic god Woden. In Romance languages, the name is derived from the Roman god Mercury. (For example, Wednesday is mercredi in French and miercuri in Romanian.)
Why is Thursday called Thursday? ›
It was named after the Norse god Thor. Thunor, Donar (German, Donnerstag) and Thor are derived from the name of the Germanic god of thunder, Thunraz, equivalent to Jupiter in the interpretatio romana. In most Romance languages, the day is named after the Roman god Jupiter, who was the god of sky and thunder.
Why is Saturday called Saturday? ›
How Saturday got its name. The word Saturday can be traced back to the Latin Sāturnī diēs (literally “Saturn's day”). That led to the Old English pronunciation and spelling Saternesdæg, followed by the Middle English Saturdai before English speakers settled on Saturday.
How did Sunday get its name? ›
How Sunday got its name. The name for Sunday stems from the Middle English word sunnenday, which itself comes from the Old English word sunnandæg. The English derivations stem from the Latin diēs sōlis (“sun's day”). To know why this particular day is devoted to the sun, you have to look to Babylonian times.
Historically, the Greco-Roman week began with Sunday (dies solis), and Monday (dies lunae) was the second day of the week. It is still the custom to refer to Monday as feria secunda in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. Quakers also traditionally referred to Monday as "Second Day".
What are Tuesday and Wednesday named after? ›
The other weekday names in English are derived from Anglo-Saxon words for the gods of Teutonic mythology. Tuesday comes from Tiu, or Tiw, the Anglo-Saxon name for Tyr, the Norse god of war. Tyr was one of the sons of Odin, or Woden, the supreme deity after whom Wednesday was named.
What God is Sunday named after? ›
The Germanic people adapted the Roman system by identifying Roman gods with their own deities. Sunday comes from Old English “Sunnandæg," which is derived from a Germanic interpretation of the Latin dies solis, "sun's day." Germanic and Norse mythology personify the sun as a goddess named Sunna or Sól.
What were the days of the week called in Bible times? ›
The Hebrew names of the days of the week are numerical: Sunday - Yom rishon- "first day", Monday -Yom shani- "second day", Tuesday -Yom shlishi- "third day", Wednesday -Yom reveci- "fourth day", Thursday -Yom khamshi- "fifth day", Friday -Yom shishi- "sixth day" and cErev shabbat -"eve of Sabbath", Saturday -Yom ha- ...
Who invented Saturday and Sunday? ›
A prominent factory owner — Henry Ford — also played a big role. Even though the federal government didn't begin to limit companies to a 40-hour workweek until 1938, Ford began to give his factory workers a two-day weekend in the early 1900s. Why did he do this? He wanted to sell the cars his workers were making.
Why is Sunday the first day of the week? ›
Technically, Sunday is the first day of the week because it always has been. However, this is based on the concept that the seventh day is a day of rest and the original sabbath in the Judaeo Christian system was Saturday, ie. the end of the week.
Why are weekdays named after Norse gods? ›
Between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, the Greco-Roman tradition was adopted from the Babylonian system and the days of the week were named after their gods, which were named after the five known planets at the time, plus the sun and the moon.
