Meanings
plural Spy Wednesdays
- CatholicismSynonym of Holy Wednesday.
CATHEDRAL. Spy-Wednesday—Evening Office of Tenebrae, at 5½ o'clock.
1844 March 30, “Order of Service in Holy Week.”, in Bengal Catholic Herald, Vol.VI No.13 p.1741 more example
On Spy Wednesday 1916 Thomas McDonagh gave B Company, 2nd Battalion, Irish Volunteers a pep talk.
1974 January 23, Seamus de Burca, "Peadar Kearney (1883–1942)" Dublin Historical Record (Old Dublin Society) Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 42–56 : 49Synonyms: Holy Wednesday
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of Holy Wednesday.
Origin
From the idea that Judas Iscariot was spying on Jesus before betraying him. The Middle Irish equivalent, Cédaín in Braith ["Wednesday of Betrayal" or "Spy Wednesday"], is attested in the 15th-century Leabhar Breac.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French mercredi de l’espion
- mercredi de l’espionSpy Wednesday
Cite this entry
Spy Wednesday. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spy%20Wednesday
“Spy Wednesday.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spy%20Wednesday. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Spy Wednesday,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spy%20Wednesday.
Source: Spy Wednesday on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.