saga

noun

sa·​ga ˈsä-gə How to pronounce saga (audio)
 also  ˈsa-
1
: a prose narrative recorded in Iceland in the 12th and 13th centuries of historic or legendary figures and events of the heroic age of Norway and Iceland
2
: a modern heroic narrative resembling the Icelandic saga
3
: a long detailed account
a saga of the Old South
also : a dramatic and often complicated story or series of events
For many people, the process caps an already lengthy immigration sagaNora Caplan-Bricker
A federal appeals court hears arguments Tuesday in the legal saga of two film producers fighting long prison terms and prosecutions … Jordan S. Rubin

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The original sagas were Icelandic prose narratives that were roughly analogous to modern historical novels. They were penned in the 12th and 13th centuries, and blended fact and fiction to tell the tales of famous rulers, legendary heroes, and average folks of Iceland and Norway. And they were aptly named: saga traces back to an Old Norse root that means "tale." The English word first referred only to those original Icelandic stories, but saga later broadened to cover other narratives reminiscent of those, and the word was eventually further generalized to cover any long, complicated scenario.

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A Brief History of Saga

Saga was originally used to describe Icelandic prose narratives composed in the 12th and 13th centuries. The word first appeared in English in that sense during the 18th century; by the middle of the 19th century we were employing saga in a somewhat looser fashion, in reference to modern stories involving heroic deeds that bore some resemblance to the Icelandic tales of yore. By the 20th century saga had come to be applied to other written works, typically a novel or series of novels, especially those that took place over a significant period of time. Today the word may also be used to describe a long and drawn-out story that is either written or spoken (as in “my neighbor told me the saga of his divorce again”). Saga comes from an Old Norse word of the same spelling. It does not have any connection with the adjective sagacious (“possessing quick intellectual perceptions”), which comes from the Latin sagax (“sagacious”).

Examples of saga in a Sentence

the saga of a shipwrecked crew Her first novel was a family saga set in Iowa. Getting our car back turned into quite a saga.
Recent Examples on the Web For his part, Beristain, who has now returned to his home in Spain, lamented that the extent of the military’s involvement in the saga remains unclear. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Watch Hatfields & McCoys on Amazon Prime Video The Son Love a good multi-generational family saga? Like Yellowstone, this AMC series follows the rise (and potential fall) of a family empire. Emily Blackwood, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Underlining the joy of the day was exhaustion from the long and trying journey that led up to it, a saga of desperate relatives navigating a mental health system bedeviled by roadblocks and inconsistencies and, at key moments, brightened by dedicated public servants. Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The quadrennial quirk of the calendar was the perfect time to reveal that the final chapter in the Blurryface saga will unfold when the Columbus, Ohio duo’s seventh album drops on May 17. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Mercedes could also look to current Ferrari driver and two-time race-winner Sainz, who became collateral damage in the Hamilton saga, though the Spaniard will almost certainly have options across the grid. Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 The Diamond Bazaar is an epic saga of love, power, betrayal, struggle and, ultimately, freedom. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 This aspect has also not been properly answered in the long-running saga. Toby Shapshak, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Pojo is his name, and by Cooper’s telling, the saga of this 6-month-old pig has rallied her rural hamlet of Springtown into an unlikely quest. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'saga.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Old Norse — more at saw

First Known Use

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of saga was in 1709

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Dictionary Entries Near saga

Cite this Entry

“Saga.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saga. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

saga

noun
sa·​ga ˈsäg-ə How to pronounce saga (audio)
1
: a tale of figures and events of Norway and Iceland from history or legend
2
: a story of heroic deeds
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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