What does yester mean?
Yester is an English adjective meaning “belonging to or relating to the previous day.” In modern English it is mainly archaic or literary and is usually encountered as the first element of an expression such as “yester day” or “yester night.” It can create a deliberately old-fashioned, narrative, or poetic tone but is not generally used in routine conversation or modern journalism. Unlike yesterday, which functions as a noun or adverb, yester normally modifies another noun and is not a direct replacement for yesterday. The word comes through Middle English from Old English gystran and ultimately from Proto-Germanic, the same source behind German gestern and Dutch gisteren. Its survival in expressions such as “yester night” preserves an older layer of English while giving writers a compact way to evoke time already past.
adjectiveRelating to the previous day or to yesterday; chiefly encountered in older or literary expressions such as “yester day” and “yester night.”
- Relating to the previous day or to yesterday.
"The events of yester night were still vivid in her memory."
"The events of yester night were still vivid in her memory."
"In yester day’s newspaper, the editor disputed the official account."
One little word carries yesterday across more than a thousand years of English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does yester come from?
The English form developed from Middle English yester, associated with Old English gystran, an old word for the previous day. Both continue Proto-Germanic *gestrin-, a form also reflected in German gestern and Dutch gisteren. In English, yester became the first element of compounds such as yesterday and remained productive in older literary expressions.
How yester is actually used
Archaic, literary, or poetic; normally attributive and seldom used independently in contemporary English.
Easily confused with yester
“Yester” is an attributive adjective meaning belonging to or relating to the previous day, whereas “yesterday” is a noun or adverb naming the day itself.