Word of the Day - 12/31/25
auld lang syne
/,ɑld læŋ 'saɪn/(n.): times long past; preceded by 'for', for old times sake
We sang the song for auld lang syne, remembering friends from times long past.
Word Origin
The phrase "auld lang syne" originates from Scots, a Germanic language closely related to English. It literally translates to "old long since" or "old long ago," which idiomatically means "times gone by" or "for old times' sake." The word 'auld' is Scots for 'old', 'lang' is Scots for 'long', and 'syne' is Scots for 'since' or 'ago'. The phrase gained widespread recognition through the poem by Robert Burns.
The Scots word 'auld' is cognate with the English word 'old', both deriving from the Proto-Germanic *aldaz. Similarly, 'lang' is cognate with the English word 'long', both originating from the Proto-Germanic *langaz. The word 'syne' is related to the English word 'since', both ultimately tracing back to the Old English word 'siððan' (meaning 'after that' or 'then').