Etymology

yesterday

yes·ter·day
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Today it means: The day immediately before today; one day ago. Full definition →

Middle English yesterday ← Old English ġiestrandæġ
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromġiestrandæġ
  2. Middle English · inherited fromyesterday
  3. English todayyesterday

From Middle English yesterday, yisterday, ȝesterdai, ȝisterdai, from Old English ġiestrandæġ, ġister dæġ, ġestor dæġ, ġeostran dæġ (“yesterday”), by surface analysis, yester- + day. Cognate with Scots yisterday, yesterday (“yesterday”), Saterland Frisian jässendeeg, järsendeges (“yesterday”, adverb), West Frisian justerdei (“yesterday”), Dutch gisterdag (“yesterday”), dialectal German gestertag (“yesterday”), Swedish gårdag (“yesterday”), Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌰𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 (gistradagis, “tomorrow”, adverb). Compare further Dutch gisteren (“yesterday”), German gestern (“yesterday”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.