Proto-Indo-European:
* "dyeus" (meaning "sky, god, bright"): This is the ancestor of many words related to the sky and light, including the Latin "deus" (god), the Greek "Zeus" (king of the gods), and the Sanskrit "dyauḥ" (sky).
Proto-Germanic:
* "dagaz" (meaning "day"): This evolved directly from "dyeus" and gave rise to the modern English word "day."
Old English:
* "dæg" (meaning "day"): This is the Old English form of the word, directly derived from "dagaz."
Modern English:
* "day": This is the modern form of the word, which has remained largely unchanged for centuries.
The Meaning Evolution:
The original meaning of "dyeus" was likely related to the sky, the brightness of the day, and the god of the sky. This eventually evolved into the meaning of "day" itself, as the word came to represent the period of daylight as opposed to the night.
Interesting Notes:
* The word "day" is closely related to the word "dawn" (Old English "dæġr").
* The word "daybreak" literally means "day-breaking."
* The word "day" has also come to be used figuratively to represent a period of time, such as "a day in court" or "a day of reckoning."
So, the word "day" ultimately traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European concept of the sky and its god, connecting us to a rich linguistic and cultural history.