The Days of the week, in Italian
filed in Italian on Mar.12, 2010
When learning the days of the week, I find it helpful to understand where the names come from. (In Russian, this ended up being super-easy.) In Italian, it’s a little different, but I still think it’s helpful, and it’s also fascinating to learn a little about the Italian language’s Roman roots.
Sunday – Domenica
The word domenica comes to us completely unchanged from its original Latin form domenica, meaning “day of God”.
Monday – Lunedì
Just as the word “moon” is reflected in the name “Monday”, the Italian word lunedì comes to us from the Latin lunae dies, or “day of the moon.”
Tuesday – Martedì
The name martedì is derived from the Latin name Martis dies, or “day of Mars.”
Wednesday – Mercoledì
The word mercoledì comes from the Latin name Mercurĭi dies, for “day of Mercury.”
Thursday – Giovedì
By Jove, the name giovedì does come from the Latin Jove dies, or “day of Jove” (aka Jupiter).
Friday – Venerdì
The word venerdì is named for the Roman goddess Veneris (aka, Venus), and comes from the Latin term Venĕris dies.
Saturday – Sabato
And finally, sabato is derived from the Latin word sabbatum, which itself comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, meaning “sabbath” or “seventh” day.
See more about: days, vocabulary
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