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yesterday

n. uncountable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈjɛstɝˌdeɪ// UK //jˈɛstədˌeɪ// yes·ter·day General-service Informal

n. the day before today. You use it to talk about things that happened in the very recent past.

n. the day immediately preceding the current day. Often functions as a temporal deictic reference point in narrative discourse.


SIMPLE

Yesterday was a very busy day for me.

CONTEXTUAL

I finished all my homework yesterday so I could relax during the weekend.

COMPLEX

While we often focus on the future, we must remember that yesterday provides the lessons necessary to navigate the challenges of tomorrow.

Origin

From Middle English yesterday, yisterday, ȝesterdai, ȝisterdai, from Old English ġiestrandæġ, ġister dæġ, ġestor dæġ, ġeostran dæġ (“yesterday”), by surface analysis, yester- + day. Cognate with Scots yisterday, yesterday (“yesterday”), Saterland Frisian jässendeeg, järsendeges (“yesterday”, adverb), West Frisian justerdei (“yesterday”), Dutch gisterdag (“yesterday”), dialectal German gestertag (“yesterday”), Swedish gårdag (“yesterday”), Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌰𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 (gistradagis, “tomorrow”, adverb). Compare further Dutch gisteren (“yesterday”), German gestern (“yesterday”).

Usage

Frequently functions as an adverb without a preposition, though it is grammatically a noun in phrases like 'since yesterday' or 'yesterday's news'.

Pitfall

I saw him in yesterday.I saw him yesterday.When used to indicate time, it does not require a preposition like 'in' or 'on'.

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