Maundy Thursday

proper noun

The Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Last Supper.

“Holonyms: Holy Week < Eastertime”

Similar
Holy ThursdayCovenant ThursdayGreat and Holy ThursdayGreen ThursdaySheer ThursdayThursday of MysteriesWhite ThursdaySkire Thursday
OriginMiddle English Maunde Þursday ← Old French mandé ← Latin mandātum →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Last Supper.

    Holonyms: Holy Week < Eastertime

    3 more examples

    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.)

    1960, Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, Eastertide in Pennsylvania: A Folk-Cultural Study, published 2000, page 13

    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.

    2002, Steven Molin, Journey Of Stones: A Sermon Series For Lent And Easter, page 47

    Most Presbyterian churches have an evening service on Maundy Thursday that includes the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

    2011, Donald K. McKim, More Presbyterian Questions, More Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith, page 42

    Synonyms: Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Green Thursday, Sheer Thursday, Thursday of Mysteries, White Thursday, Skire Thursday

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Last Supper.

Similar
Holy ThursdayCovenant ThursdayGreat and Holy ThursdayGreen ThursdaySheer ThursdayThursday of MysteriesWhite ThursdaySkire Thursday

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe Thursday before Easter; commemorates the Last Supper

Similar
Holy Thursday
Broader
Christian holy day
Also see
covenant thursdaygreat and holy thursdaygreen thursdayholy thursdaysheer thursdayskire thursdaythursday of mysterieswhite thursday

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinmandātum
  2. Old Frenchmandé
  3. Middle EnglishMaunde Þursday“Holy Thursday”
  4. EnglishMaundy Thursday

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque Ostegun Santua
  • Ostegun SantuaThursday before Easter
Bulgarian Велики Четвъртък
  • Велики Четвъртък (Veliki Četvărtăk)Thursday before Easter
Catalan dijous Sant
  • dijous SantThursday before Easter
Chinese Mandarin 濯足節 /濯足节
  • 濯足節 /濯足节 (zhuózújié)Thursday before Easter
Czech Zelený čtvrtek
  • Zelený čtvrtekThursday before Easter
Danish skærtorsdag
  • skærtorsdagThursday before Easter
Dutch Witte Donderdag
  • Witte DonderdagThursday before Easter
Esperanto sankta ĵaŭdo
  • sankta ĵaŭdoThursday before Easter
Estonian suur neljapäev
  • suur neljapäevThursday before Easter
Finnish kiirastorstai
  • kiirastorstaiThursday before Easter
French Jeudi saint
  • Jeudi saintThursday before Easter
German Gründonnerstag
  • GründonnerstagThursday before Easter
Greek Μεγάλη Πέμπτη
  • Μεγάλη Πέμπτη (Megáli Pémpti)Thursday before Easter
Hungarian nagycsütörtök
  • nagycsütörtökThursday before Easter
Icelandic skírdagur, skíri Þórsdagur
  • skírdagurThursday before Easter
  • skíri ÞórsdagurThursday before Easter
  • skíri dagurThursday before Easter
Indonesian Kamis Putih
  • Kamis PutihThursday before Easter
Irish Déardaoin Mandála
  • Déardaoin MandálaThursday before Easter
Italian Giovedì santo
  • Giovedì santoThursday before Easter
Latin dies cenae Domini
  • dies cenae DominiThursday before Easter
Latvian Zaļā Ceturtdiena
  • Zaļā CeturtdienaThursday before Easter
Lithuanian Didžiojo ketvirtadienio
  • Didžiojo ketvirtadienioThursday before Easter
Malay Khamis Suci
  • Khamis SuciThursday before Easter
Norwegian Bokmål skjærtorsdag
  • skjærtorsdagThursday before Easter
Polish Wielki Czwartek
  • Wielki CzwartekThursday before Easter
Portuguese Quinta-Feira Santa, Quinta-feira de Endoenças
  • Quinta-Feira SantaThursday before Easter
  • Quinta-feira de EndoençasThursday before Easter
Romanian Joia Mare
  • Joia MareThursday before Easter
Russian Страстной четве́рг, Великий четве́рг
  • Страстной четве́рг (Strastnoj četvérg)Thursday before Easter
  • Великий четве́рг (Velikij četvérg)Thursday before Easter
Scottish Gaelic Diardaoin a' Bhrochain Mhóir
  • Diardaoin a' Bhrochain MhóirThursday before Easter
Slovak Zelený štvrtok, Veľký štvrtok
  • Zelený štvrtokThursday before Easter
  • Veľký štvrtokThursday before Easter
Spanish Jueves Santo
  • Jueves SantoThursday before Easter
Swedish skärtorsdag
  • skärtorsdagThursday before Easter
Tagalog Huwebes Santo
  • Huwebes SantoThursday before Easter
Tamil வியாகுல வியாழன்
  • வியாகுல வியாழன் (viyākula viyāḻaṉ)Thursday before Easter
Welsh dydd Iau Cablyd
  • dydd Iau CablydThursday before Easter
Cite this entry
APA

Maundy Thursday. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maundy%20Thursday

MLA

“Maundy Thursday.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maundy%20Thursday. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maundy Thursday,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maundy%20Thursday.

Source: Maundy Thursday on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.