Wednesday
(ˈwɛnzdeɪ, -dɪ)
Forms: α. 1 Wódnes dæᵹ (dœ́ᵹ), dei, 3 Wodnesdei, 3–4 -day, (3 pl. -dawes), 3–5 Wodenes-, 4 Wodenis-, 5–6 Wodens-, Wodinsday. β. 3 Wednes-, Weodnes-, Wendesdei, 3–4 Wednesdai, 4 Wendes-, 4–5 Wedenis-, Wedenys-, Wedenes-, Wedonesday, -dai, 4–7 Wedins-, 5 Wyndenesse day, Sc. Wedynnisda, 5–6 Wed(d)ens-, Wed(d)yns-, Wednys-, 6 Weddynnis-, Wednis-, Wedns-, Sc. Veddynis-, 6–7 Weddins-, 3– Wednesday. γ. Wannesdai, 5 Wan(n)ys-, Wones-, Won(n)ysday; 5 Wenness-, W(h)enysday, Wenstay, 5–6 Wennysday, Wensdaie, 6 Wenes-, 4–7 Wensday(e.
[OE. Wódnes dæᵹ = OFris. wôns-, woenis-, wern(i)s-, wernes-, wers-, wer(ren)dei, wênsdei (mod. WFris. woansdei, wansdei, wensdei, wernsdei, NFris. winjsdei, wadensdei), MLG. Wôdenesdach, Gudensdag, MDu. Woensdach (mod.Du. -dag), ON. {Oacu}ðensdagr (Sw., Da. Onsdag), ‘the day of (the god) Woden’, a translation of late L. Mercurii dies, whence the name of the day in the Rom. langs. (F. Mercredi, Sp. Miercoles, It. Mercoledì). In High German the day appears always to have been called ‘mid-week’ (mod.G. Mittwoch), although for the other days (exc. Saturday) the translated Roman (planetary) names were adopted as in the other WGer. langs. and ON.
The name of Woden (OE. Wóden, OS. Wôden, OHG. Wuotan, ON. {Oacu}ðenn:—OTeut. *Wōđono-z) is referred to the Teut. root *wōđ-, found in OTeut. *wōđo- mad, furious (see wood a.), ON. óð-r (:—*wōđo-z) poetic frenzy, inspiration; cognate with L. vātēs, Irish fáith, prophet. The identification of Woden, the highest god of the Teutonic pantheon, with Mercury, appears already in Tacitus (‘Deorum maxime Mercurium colunt’, Germ. ix); it was probably chiefly suggested by Woden's character as the god of eloquence; another feature common to the German and the Roman deity is their swiftness and wide range of travel.
As representing the OE. Wódnes dæᵹ, the β forms are anomalous. The same irregularity appears in some of the Frisian forms above quoted, and in the English place-names Wednesbury and Wednesfield, Staffordshire, and Wensley, Derbyshire (1086 Domesday Wodneslei, c 1200 Wednesle). Some scholars have proposed to account for the change of vowel by the assumption that an unrecorded form *Wēden (:—*Wōđino-z, with suffix-ablaut) existed in OE. and OFris. beside the form without umlaut; but the supposition involves some difficulties.
The uncontracted pronunciation (ˈwɛd(ə)nzdeɪ), though not recognized in the dictionaries (Webster 1911 gives it as ‘in British use, esp. in the north’), is not unfrequently heard from speakers belonging to the northern and north midland counties. The contracted pronunciation now prevailing goes back to the 15th c.; the earlier metathetic form wendesdei (c 1275) is noteworthy.]
The fourth day of the week.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark Introd. p. 5 Feria .iiii. wodnes doeᵹe. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. iii. (heading), On Wodnesdæᵹ. c 1123 O.E. Chron. an. 1123 (Laud MS.) On an Wodnes dei. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 2215 Þet wes on Wodnesdei [v.rr. Wednesdei, Weodnesdei] þet ha þus wende. a 1225 Ancr. R. 70 Iðen Aduent, & iðe Umbridawes, wodnesdawes, & fridawes. c 1275 Lay. 13925 Tydea we ȝefue tisdei Woden we ȝefue wendesdei. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2432 In oure tonge ycluped in honour of him is wodnes day [v.rr. 14–15th c. Wednesday, Wodenesday, Wedonesday, Wensdaye]. a 1300 Cursor M. 270 + 1 Luna Monenday Mars Tisday Mercurius Wednesday. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 154 In a signe of the Saterday that sette firste the kalendare, And al the witte of the Wednesday of the nexte wyke after. c 1385 Fordun Chron. Gentis Scot. v. lii. (1871) 253 Quartam [feriam] suo nomini dedicantes, diem Woden vocabant, quæ consuetudo per Anglos etiam hodie servatur, vocant enim eundem diem Wodenisday. c 1400 Rule St. Benet xli. 29 Al þe wukis in þe summir, sal ye faste..þe wedenisdai and te fryday. Ibid. 1708 Wedinsday. c 1425 in Rep. MSS. Ld. Middleton (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 107 Other men or wymmen that have non peyse of their owen growyng, lett hem gedur hem twyse in the weke on Wennessday and on Friday. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 40 Yche Wenysday and Fryday, he made hys confessour bete hym wyth a ȝarde apon þe backe al bare. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3411 On a wedensday he fell seke. c 1450 Godstow Reg. (1911) 206 The wonysday Afore wytsonday. 1457 Paston Lett. I. 414 At Norwich hastly, the Wenstay in Ester weke. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 1280 Now thai him kep to martyr in London toun On Wednysday, befor King and commoun. c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) iii. 1505 On þe weddysday, ower lord..made..fysche In flod. 1490 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 131 On Wedynnisda the xxiiij da of Marche. 1529 Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) I. 324 To morow at nyght or wenesday by none at the Ferthest. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxviii. 235 On a wednysday they came to Parys. 1534 More Treat. Passion Wks. 1299/2 The day before his maundy, that is to wyt the wedynsday before hys passyon. 1536 Wriothesley Chron. (Camden) I. 39 The 17th day of May, beinge Weddensday. 1537 Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) II. 59 At the Wodensday next after pentecost. 1544 in Rymer Foedera (1719) XV. 54 The thirtieth of July (beinge Wensdaye). Ibid., Wednsdaye (the sixth of August). 1544 in Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (Selden Soc.) 98 By the Wennysday in the Wytsonweke. 1552 Huloet, Wensdaye, mercurij dies. 1556 in Lodge Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1791) I. 214 And upon Wedynsday..she..departed. 1558 in T. Wright Q. Eliz. (1838) I. 4 Mr. Teylle wil be with you apon Wensdaye week. 1562–3 Act 5 Eliz. c. 5 §11 Every Wednesdaye..which heretofore hathe not by the Lawes or Customes of this Realme bene used and observed as a Fishe Daye..shalbe hereafter observed and kepte as the Saterdays in every Weeke bee or ought to be. 1563 Winȝet Bk. Quest. Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 126 The Kirk of God heirfor, obseruing..abstinence..on Wodinsday generalie in the orient Kirk. 1574 [? Whittingham] Brieff Discours 40 The next daie beinge wensdaie. 1579 Fulke Heskins's Parl. 456 On Sunday and Wednesday,..and on other dayes. 1607 Shakes. Cor. i. iii. 64, I look'd vpon him a Wensday halfe an houre together. 1639 Sir T. Hope Diary (Bannatyne Club) 100 On 3 July, Weddinsday, wes the tumult of women in Edinburgh. 1715 Gay Trivia ii. 419 Wednesdays and Fridays you'll observe from hence, Days, when our sires were doom'd to abstinence. 1808 Jamieson, Wensday, Wednesday. 1822 Downes Lett. fr. Mecklenburg 173 The evening of Wednesday was a gloomy one. 1905 ‘G. Thorne’ Lost Cause ii, Wait till you see my leader in Wednesday's issue. |
b. In names of certain days of the ecclesiastical calendar, as Ash-Wednesday [= med.L. dies cinerum, Fr. jour or mercredi des cendres, It. dì delle ceneri, G. aschermittwoch, Du. aschdag, ON. ǫskudagr, ǫsku-óðensdagr, Da. askeonsdag, Sw. askonsdag], the first day of Lent, also called † pulver-Wednesday [from the words ‘pulvis es et in pulverem reverteris’, used in the service]. Also Good W., Holy W., Spy W. (Anglo-Irish: see spy n. 5), the Wednesday before Easter.
| 1297, 1387 [see Ash-Wednesday]. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 82 Ȝe schull begyn your fast at Aske-Wanysday. c 1454 [see pulver n. b]. 1471 Acta Auditorum (1839) 16/1 Onne gude Wednisday in passioun woulk. 1842 [see spy n. 5]. 1845 Dublin Rev. June 425 On Holy Wednesday at the words in the Passion, ‘et velum templi scissum est’, it [the veil] is torn open in two parts. 1894 Northumb. Gloss., Good Wednesday. |
c. attrib.
| 138. Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 423 Bigynnynge first at þe Wednesdai gospel in þe firste woke of Advent bifore Cristemasse. 1650 in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 241 The defrayinge of the chardge for the Wensdaye lecture. 1672 Marvell Rehearsal transpros'd i. 246 You say that the Clause 5° Eliz. of the Wednesday-Fast has been the original of all the Puritan-Disorders. 1673 S'too him Bayes 100 To your long business about the Clause to the Wednesday Act, and its binding the Conscience or no, I answer, [etc.]. 1819 Lady Morgan Autobiog. (1859) 304 Several of my liberal Wednesday-evening guests have been made peers. 1848 Dickens Dombey liii, My Wednesday nights came regularly round. 1883 D. C. Murray Hearts vii, They're going to play my ‘Dream of Venice’ at Hoffmann's Wednesday Concerts. |
Similarly † Wodnes-niȝt, Wednesday night.
| c 1000 Ecgb. Pœnit. ii. §21 in Thorpe Laws II. 190 {Aeacu}fre Sunnan-nihte & Wodnes-nihte. c 1000 Wulfstan's Hom. lviii. (1883) 305 Sunnannihtum..ne Wodnesnihtum. c 1297 Beket 1125 in S. Eng. Leg. 138 His wei wodnes-niȝt out of þe toune he nam. |