day-old
UK[ˌdeɪ ˈəʊld]US[ˌdeɪ ˈoʊld]
adj
(of food, especially baked goods) made or prepared on the previous day; not fresh.
adj
(of a young animal or bird) having lived for approximately one day.
Morpheme Breakdown
day
old
day
unit of time
old
having existed for a specified time
Etymology
The compound adjective 'day-old' is a transparent formation from two core Germanic roots. 'Day' originates from the Proto-Germanic 'dagaz', denoting the period of daylight. 'Old' stems from Proto-Germanic 'aldaz', meaning grown up or advanced in age. Combined in Modern English, they follow a simple descriptive pattern common in compounding, where the first element ('day') specifies the exact measure of time, and the second ('old') indicates the state of having existed for that duration. This logical construction directly yields the modern meanings, whether describing baked goods from the previous day or a newborn animal's precise age.
Analysis
Structure: day (unit of time) + old (having existed for a specified time)
- day: From Old English 'dæg', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'dag' and German 'Tag'. Functions as a noun root specifying a unit of time.
- old: From Old English 'ald, eald', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'oud' and German 'alt'. Functions as an adjective meaning having existed for a specified time.
Examples
The bakery sells day-old bread at a discount.
We adopted a day-old chick from the farm.
The market often has day-old pastries that are still perfectly good.