English
diary
Diary comes from Latin diārium ‘a daily allowance for soldiers, in Late Latin…’, from diēs ‘a day’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- ‘sky, heaven’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyew-‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyḗws‘heaven, sky’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*djēmreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccusative
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiēs‘a day’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiārium‘a daily allowance for soldiers, in Late Latin also ‘diary’’
- Englishearliest quotation 2004diary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyew-‘sky, heaven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dyḗws‘heaven, sky’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*djēmreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccusative
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiēs‘a day’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiārium‘a daily allowance for soldiers, in Late Latin also ‘diary’’
- Englishearliest quotation 2004diary
Earliest quotation: 2004, Victoria Kidwell, Homework: “It is recommended that teachers and pupils are issued…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dyew- ‘sky, heaven’
divine, dev, deity, divinity, joss, diva, div, deuce, deva, divination, jovial, deism, deist, deification, 29 more
through Latin accusative
through Latin diēs ‘a day’
journal, die, journey, dial, meridian, sojourn, diurnal, 12 more
Today it means
noun A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dyew- / diary