daisy (English)

Where does "daisy" come from?

The English noun 'daisy' descends from the Middle English form 'dayesye'[1][3], which in turn evolved from the Old English 'dæġes ēage'[1][2][3]. Meaning literally 'day's eye'[1][2], the term developed because the flowers close their blossoms at night[1].

Full etymology tree

• daisy (English), 'A wild flowering plant of species Bellis perennis of the family Asteraceae, with a yellow head and white petals'
  • inherited dayesye (Middle English), 'daisy (flower)'
    • inherited dæges eage (Old English), 'daisy'

Ancestors

• dayesye (Middle English)
• dæges eage (Old English)

Descendants and derived words

• African daisies (English)
• Barberton daisy (English)
• Bartlett daisy (English)
• blue daisy (English)
• bull daisy (English)
• Cape beach daisy (English)
• chocolate daisy (English)
• common daisy (English)
• crown daisy (English)
• daisied (English)
• Daisy Bank (English)
• daisy bush (English)

Related words

• flower (English)
• weed (English)

Sources

1. daisy (English) - Wiktionary
2. dæges eage (Old English) - Wiktionary
3. dayesye (Middle English) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris