Anniversary
/ˌæn.ɪˈvɜːr.sə.ri/noun
The yearly recurrence of a date or event.
Did you know?It comes from Latin annus (“year”) plus versus (“turned”), so the original idea is not just a date repeating — it’s a year literally turning back on itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂et-
“year, season”
Latin
Latin
annus
“year”
Latin
Latin
anniversarius
“returning yearly; annual”
Old French
Old French
anniversaire
“yearly return; anniversary”
Middle English
English
anniversarye
“yearly recurrence or commemoration”
Modern English
English
anniversary
“the yearly recurrence of a date or event”