Sheer Thursday Obs. exc. Hist.
Forms: α. 3–6 schere, 3–6, 8–9 shere, 4 scer-, scere, 5 scher, chere, 5–6 sher, 5, 7 shear, 6 chare, 7 sheere, 5, 9– sheer. β. 4 shir, 4–5 schire, 5 schyre, schyr-, schir-, 6 shyre, shire, shier; 6 Sc. chyris. γ. 5 schordordai, s(c)hor-, 5–6 shore, 6 shorpthursday. Often written as one word.
[The α and β types correspond respectively to the two Scandinavian forms which are directly represented in Eng. by Skere Thursday (skere a. 4) and Skire Thursday. The two cognate and synonymous adjs. (ON. skǽrr skere, sheer, and sk{iacu}rr skire, shire) appear to have been applied to Maundy Thursday with allusion to the purification of the soul by confession (cf. Shrove Thursday, F. jeudi absolu), and perh. also to the practice of washing the altars on that day. The γ forms are corruptions due to the association with words of somewhat similar sound.
Another name for Maundy Thursday, app. of similar meaning, was Du. witte Donderdag (‘white Thursday’), recorded from the 13th c.; so G. weisser Donnerstag.]
The Thursday in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday.
| α c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 99 Gif we bien cumen on bicumeliche wise a shereðursdai to absoluciun. c 1275 Passion our Lord 89 in O.E. Misc. 40 At þe schere þursday. c 1290 St. Brendan 360 in S. Eng. Leg. 229 A-schereþores-day [(1310 ed. Bälz) scere þorsday, v. rr. c 1300 scerþursday, c 1400 scher þursday, 14.. schire þoresday, schordordai, etc.] huy comen þudere in gret trauaile inouȝ. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ix. xxxi. (1495) 367 The daye of Cene that we calle Sherethursdaye. c 1425 Processional Nuns Chester (1899) 6 On sherthursday at the washyng of the auters. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 253 On sheerthursday. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 125 Scher Þursday; for, in old fadrys dayes, men wold þat day make scher hom honest, and dodde hor heddys, and clyp hor berdys, and so make hom onest aȝeynes Astyr-day. Ibid. 169 Chere Þursday. 1534 More Answ. Poysoned Bk. Pref. B b iij b, Y⊇ maundye of Chryste wyth hys apostles vpon shere thursday. 1621 in Dewsbury Parish Reg., Alice daughter of Willm Speight elder baptised the xxix day being Shear Thursdaye. |
| β c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 325 Joon restide on Shir Þursdaie in þe soper on Cristis brest. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 435 In Cene Þorsday, þat som men clepeþ Shireþorsday [1432–50 Scherethursday]. c 1450 in Aungier Syon (1840) 346 A Schirthursday the sustres shal say the seuen psalmes. 1520 Perth Hammermen Bk. (1889) 13 For candill upon Chyris Thuirsday in the kirk, iiij d. c 1541 in J. Collier Eccl. Hist. (1714) II. 197 Shier-Thursday, as we call it. |
| γ 1456 Paston Lett. I. 389, I wold ye wold take avise and counsel of the Preest that had you so long under hand on Shorthursday. a 1490 Botoner Itin. (1778) 372 Item quolibet shore-thursday, voluit lavare pedes eorum. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 2978 Shorpthursday. 1537 Wriothesley Chron. (1875) I. 62 The 29 daye of March, beinge Shore Thursdaye. |