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As stated in this question, the Latin names for the days of the week used to all be named for the planets of Hellenistic astrology:

Weekday Planet
dies Solis Sol
dies Lunae Luna
dies Martis Mars
dies Mercurii Mercury
dies Jovis Jupiter
dies Veneris Venus
dies Saturni Saturn

With the influence of Catholicism, its Ecclesiastical Latin names replaced those of the weekend in Spanish:

  • sábado (sabbatum)
  • domingo (dies Dominicus)

(and in most other romance languages, an exception being De Sadorn in Corsican).

Question:

Is there any record of intermediary forms being used between the Late Latin dies Saturni, dies Solis and modern Spanish sábado, domingo? e.g:

  • [dies] Saturni > *satorne(s) > *sadornes
  • [dies] Solis > *soles
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  • Una olla de algo más vaca que carnero, salpicón las más noches, duelos y quebrantos los sábados, lentejas los viernes, algún palomino de añadidura los domingos, consumían las tres partes de su hacienda. (1612)
    – enxaneta
    Commented Dec 25, 2018 at 20:38

2 Answers 2

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The names of the week proposed by the Catholic Church (from "segunda feria" to "sexta feria" and then "sábado" and "domingo") were proposed in the 4th century by Pope Sylvester. The names "sábado" and "domingo" were accepted by the people whereas the other names were not, as we know (at least in Spain).

We can see in texts written in Old Spanish from the 12th century that the names "sábado" and "domingo" were used:

Qui fuere á poblacion, ó exier de termino de viyla, venga al conceylo de la viyla ó del aldea sabado á vesperas, ó domingo á misa, et diga: dexo mi heredat á este mio parient en comenda, et qual que ora viniere ayla sua heredat salva.

Anonymous, "Fueros de Medinaceli", c1129 (Spain).

Before that century the texts are mostly written in Hispanic Latin, like this one:

In Era TCXXIIII notum die sabatum ipsas kalendas Agustas; et quicunque fuerit contra istam donacionem [...].

Anonymous, "Escritura de donación", 1086 (Spain).

And even earlier:

Facta carta die dominico; regnante rex Ramiro in Legione [...].

Anonymous, "De Cavia", 922 (Spain).

By this time 600 years had already passed after the Catholic Church proposed their names. I can't find any text written in Spanish that uses another names (such as die solis or die saturni or similar expressions), and besides going before the 10th century is going beyond the realm of the Spanish language. Maybe this could be a question for the Latin language stack exchange.

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  • 1
    ... The names of the week proposed by the Catholic Church (from "segunda feria" to "sexta feria" -> those where accepted in Portuguese Commented Sep 4, 2018 at 17:28
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Alfonso X in his General Estoria makes reference to "gentiles" referring to the days as saturno and sol respectively:

E por onrarlas más pusiéronles nombres d’ellas a los siete días de la semana, e assí an oy nombre los días de la semana. E esto los gentiles lo fizieron, que fueron muy sabios omnes en estos saberes e en todos los otros, si non que por remembrança del Viejo Testamento e porque salió el Nuevo d’él que los cristianos que llamamos después al VIIo día a que dixoron los gentiles saturno, quel dezimos nós sábato. E otrossí al primero día de la semana a que llamaron los gentiles sol que nós los cristianos, otrossí por onra e remembrança de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo e Dios, quel dezimos domingo. E lieva este nombre de Dominus, que dizen en latín por señor; e domingo tanto quiere dezir en el nuestro lenguage de Castiella como día señoral fascas día del Señor, e sábado folgança. Los otros días de la semana retovieron e retienen los antigos nombres que los gentiles les pusieron de las planetas: el lunes de la Luna, el martes de Mars, el miércoles de Mercurio, el jueves de Júpiter, el viernes de Venus.

...

la primera ora del día del lunes es de la Luna llamámosle lunes a aquel día, e otrossí porque la primera ora dell otro día es de la planeta de Mars dixieron a aquel día martes, e otrossí a los otros días de la sedmana dend adelant, fueras ende que el sábado llamaron saturno los gentiles porque es de la planeta de Saturno la primera ora d’aquel día, e al domingo dixieron ellos sol, otrossí por la primera ora d’esse día, que es de la planeta del Sol.

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