Maundy Thursday

English

Etymology

From Middle English Maunde Þursday (“Holy Thursday”), equivalent to maundy +‎ Thursday. Middle English maundy derives from Old French mandé, from Latin mandātum, in reference to the phrase mandātum novum dō vōbīs (“a new commandment I give unto you”).[1]

Proper noun

Maundy Thursday

The Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Last Supper.
- 1960, Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, Eastertide in Pennsylvania: A Folk-Cultural Study, 2000, page 13,
  The dialect name for Maundy Thursday, Grie(ner)-Durmerschdawg (Green Thursday, literally), is in very large part responsible for the basic lore that attaches to this day: One must eat something green on this day. […] Failure to eat something green on Maundy Thursday had dire consequences, according to the folk mind: One would get the itch, one would become lousy, or as a York County informant put it, "Mer iss s gans yawr uff em aisel." (One will be a mule all year long.)
- 2002, Steven Molin, Journey Of Stones: A Sermon Series For Lent And Easter‎, page 47:
  It is the tradition among Christians in Africa on Maundy Thursday that, before the sacrament of Holy Communion is served, worshipers move about the sanctuary and seek forgiveness from everyone they have hurt or offended or sinned against — known or unknown — in recent months.
- 2011, Donald K. McKim, More Presbyterian Questions, More Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith‎, page 42:
  Most Presbyterian churches have an evening service on Maundy Thursday that includes the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

Usage notes

Holy Thursday is more commonly used in Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States, and is the official name used by the Catholic Church in English.

Synonyms

Covenant Thursday
Great and Holy Thursday
Green Thursday (especially in a German-speaking context)
Holy Thursday
Sheer Thursday
Thursday of Mysteries

Related terms

Maundy money

Translations

Thursday before Easter

Armenian: Ավագ հինգշաբթի (Avag hingšabtʿi)
Bulgarian: Велики Четвъртък m (Veliki Četvǎrtǎk)
Catalan: dijous Sant m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 濯足節／濯足节 (zhuózújié)
Danish: skærtorsdag (da)
Dutch: Witte Donderdag (nl) m
Esperanto: sankta ĵaŭdo
Estonian: suur neljapäev
Faroese: skírisdagur m
Finnish: kiirastorstai (fi)
Franco-Provençal: Jofs Saint m
French: Jeudi saint (fr)
Galician: Xoves Santo m
Georgian: დიდი ხუთშაბათი (didi xutšabati)
German: Gründonnerstag (de) m
Greek: Μεγάλη Πέμπτη (el) f (Megáli Pémpti)
Hungarian: nagycsütörtök (hu)
Icelandic: skírdagur (is) m, (archaic) skíri Þórsdagur m, (archaic) skíri dagur m
Indonesian: Kamis Putih
Irish: Déardaoin Mandála m
Italian: Giovedì santo m
Latin: dies cenae Domini f
Latvian: Zaļā Ceturtdiena
Low German:
German Low German: Gröndunnersdag, Grööndunnersdag m, Grööndunnerdag m, Grööndonnersdag m, Grööndonnerdag m, Greundunnerdag m
Malay: Khamis Suci
Malayalam: പെസഹാ വ്യാഴം (pesahā vyāḻaṃ)
Maltese: Ħamis ix-Xirka
Manx: Jerdein Caisht m, Jerdein Casherick m, Jerdein Chorp Chreest m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: skjærtorsdag m
Nynorsk: skjærtorsdag m
Old Norse: skíriþórsdagr m
Polish: Wielki Czwartek (pl) m
Portuguese: Quinta-Feira Santa f, Quinta-feira de Endoenças f
Romanian: Joia Mare (ro) f
Russian: Страстной четве́рг (Strastnoj četvérg), Великий четве́рг (ru) (Velikij četvérg)
Scots: Guid Thuirsday, Skyre Thuirsday
Spanish: Jueves Santo m
Swedish: skärtorsdag (sv) c
Tamil: வியாகுல வியாழன் (viyākula viyāḻaṉ)
Welsh: dydd Iau Cablyd m

References

The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, OCLC 964384981, John 13:34: “A new commandement I giue vnto you, That yee loue one another, as I haue loued you, that yee also loue one another.”.

[1] The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, OCLC 964384981, John 13:34: “A new commandement I giue vnto you, That yee loue one another, as I haue loued you, that yee also loue one another.”.