Etymology

Ash Wednesday

Today it means: The Wednesday 46 days before Easter in a given year, (Catholicism) traditionally observed as the beginning of Lent and a day of strict abstention from certain foods and pleasures. Full definition →

Middle English Asche Wednesday
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromAsche Wednesday
  2. English todayAsh Wednesday

From Middle English Asche Wednesday, from asche (“ash”) + Wednesday (“Wednesday”), from the custom of using the blessed ashes of the previous year's palm fronds (cf. Palm Sunday) to mark the heads of the congregation on the day. By surface analysis, ash + Wednesday.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.