saga

[sah-guh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saga ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc.

any narrative or legend of heroic exploits.

Also called saga novel. a form of the novel in which the members or generations of a family or social group are chronicled in a long and leisurely narrative.

a dramatic history of a group, place, industry, etc.: the saga of the transcontinental railroad.

any very long story with dramatic events or parts: the sad saga of her life in poverty.

Origin of saga

1700–10; < Old Norse; cognate with saw³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for saga

chronicle, yarn, tale, adventure, narrative, epic, legend

Examples from the Web for saga

Contemporary Examples of saga

I have known Alliata for many years and have written of this saga twice before.
In Tussle Over Will, Mistress’s Family Takes a Bite Out of NYU
Anthony Haden-Guest
November 10, 2014
He talks candidly about the saga, non-monogamy, assisted suicide, and why he is ‘bored’ of the gay actor debate.
9 Must-Read Stories of Syria’s Tokyo Rose, Missing WMDs and #GamerGate: The Best of The Beast
William Boot
October 18, 2014
Ultimately, the big news in the saga of the cable bundle are the effects of the new lower priced tiers evolving.
Oh Yes, He’s The Great Connector: Jason Hirschhorn’s Expertly Curated World
Lloyd Grove
October 17, 2014
The saga is a bit more terrifying and Harlacher hopes this adds you to his “body count.”
New York’s Scariest Night Out: The Ghosts, Rats, and Lunatics of ‘Nightmare New York’
Justin Jones
October 4, 2014
Yes, there are several, arguably illuminating revelations in the Chander-dog saga, but the endgame is the same.
15 Times ‘Friends’ Was Really, Really Weird
Kevin Fallon
September 18, 2014

Historical Examples of saga

Since the days of Orry, we have had nothing to tell in Saga, if the Sagaman were here.
The Little Manx Nation - 1891
Hall Caine
Her son claimed that he had inherited his love of “song and saga” from her.
Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark
Jens Christian Aaberg
It takes the form of a saga and is entitled Hall of the Three Legs.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 15, 1916
Various
No saga will ever glorify their deeds, no epic make them immortal.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
Arthur, King of Bertangenland (Saga), 379; daughter of, 393.
Theodoric the Goth
Thomas Hodgkin

British Dictionary definitions for saga

saga

noun

any of several medieval prose narratives written in Iceland and recounting the exploits of a hero or a family

any similar heroic narrative

Also called: saga novel a series of novels about several generations or members of a family

any other artistic production said to resemble a saga

informal a series of events or a story stretching over a long period

Word Origin for saga

C18: from Old Norse: a narrative; related to Old English secgan to say 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for saga

1709, an antiquarians' revival to describe the medieval prose narratives of Iceland and Norway, from Old Norse saga "saga, story," cognate with Old English sagu "a saying" (see saw (n.2)). Properly, a narrative composition of Iceland or Norway in the Middle Ages, or one that has their characteristics. Meaning "long, convoluted story" is from 1857.