Middle English Dictionary Entry
Wednes-dai n.
Entry Info
| Forms | Wednes-dai n. Also wednessedai, wednisdai, wed(d)enesdai, wedenisdai, weddinisdai, wedonesdai, weddensdaie, wedinsdai, wendesdai, wendisdai, wen(n)esdai, wen(n)isdai, wensdai, vennisdai & wod(e)nesdai, wod(e)nisdai, wodinsdai, wodeinsdai, won(n)isdai, wan(n)isdai & (early) wodnesdæig, (SWM) weodnesdei; pl. (early SW) wodnesdawes. |
| Etymology | OE Wōdnes-dæg; also cp. OFris. Wōns-dei, var. of Wernis-dei. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: For other forms of 2nd element see dai n.
1.
(a) The fourth day of the week, Wednesday; also the name of the fourth day of the week [quot. ?c1450]; asshe ~, q.v.; pulver ~, q.v.;
(b) in adv. usage: on Wednesday(s; the ~; than ~ anightes (night), on the night before Wednesday, Tuesday night;
(c) in street name.
Associated quotations
a
- 1123 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1123 : Þa tidde hit on an Wodnesdei þet wæs on iiiio idus Ianrii þet se king rad in his derfald and se biscop Roger of Seresbyrig on an half him.
- (c1140) Geoffrey of Monmouth Hist.Regum Britanniae (Hammer)110 : Veneramur atque colimus maxime Mercurium, quem Woden lingua nostra appellamus; Huic maiores nostri quartam feriam dicaverunt, quae…lingua nostra nomen Wodenesdei de nomine ipsius sortita est.
- a1150(?OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)66/18 : Þonne hit [New Year’s Day] byð Wodnesdæig, hit byð heard winter & yfel læinten, god sumer & geswyncfull hærfest, & hunig byð gæsne.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Kath.(1) (Bod 34)114/798 : Þet wes on a Weodnesdei [Tit: wednes dei] þet ha þus wende, martir, to þe murhðes þe neauer ne wonieð.
- c1300 Lay.Brut (Otho C.13)6950 : Woden we ȝefue Wendesdei.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)2432 : Mercurius…in vre tonge woden icluped is…of þe wouke þen verþe day In oure tonge ycluped in hononour [read: honour] of him is wodnes day [vr. Wednesday; B vrr. Wodenesday, Wedonesday, Wensdaye].
- c1390(a1325) Ipotis (Vrn)129 : Vppon þe wedenesday made god almiht Fisch in flod and foul in fliht.
- a1400 Lament Berkeley (Mid Mi O1)51 : Hit was on a Wensday froo Wymondam he went, To þo see sikurly his somers he sent; He busked in to Breteyn with bacenets bright.
- (1415) Doc.Conspir.Hen.V in D.K.R.43587 : Yer ye Erle of Cambrege and he fulle acordit to gedur yat ye Erle of ye Marche shulde cum…on Wendisday at neghte and sope yer.
- (c1425) MSS Middleton in HMC107 : 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.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)7376 : Mercury ys on oure langage ‘Woden,’ louerd…Þe ferþe day we halewe hym to; ffor we þat day worschipen hym alle, ‘Wodenesday’ þat day we calle.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)107/6 : Do syngyn a messe of þe Holy Gost, and make vii candellis…and vrite in þe furst candell, ‘sunday’…in þe ferthe, ‘weddynis-day’…and…do þe seke man takyn oon of þe candellys, and whyche candyll þat he take, he schall fastyn þat day þat is wretyn þeron.
- (1451) Acc.Yatton in Som.RS 493 : To the belle yn the Wendisdaye of Wytsondaye tyme of our taverne we payede…xl s.
- c1460 Oseney Reg.85/6 : John of Barton, clerke, and John labanc…at þe hundred were present…þe day, that is to say, of Wodenysday afore þe fest of Seynte Andrew.
- (1476) Stonor2.9 : I will send it to you as sone as I maye, and thate shalbe a Tuysdaye or a Weddensdaye at the ffardest.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)252/28-9 : Þagh þe exaltacyon of þe crosse be on a Wannysday, þen þe Ymbryngdayes schall be yn þe Wannysday next aftyr.
- a1500 Siege Jerus.(2) (Brog 2.1)72/64 : The vj tokon: On a vennysday at eve þey hard a crye in þe tempull, saying: ‘Goo we hens, goo we hens!’
b
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)38/6 : Euche fridei of þe ȝer haldeð silence, bute hit beo duble feaste, Ant tenne haldeð hit sum oðer dei i þe wike: I þe aduenz & i þe umbriwiken, weodnesdei [Nero: wodnesdawes; Pep: Wedenysday] & fridei; I þe lenten, þreo dahes.
- c1300 SLeg.Becket (Hrl 2277)p.57 : The morwe upe Seint Lukes dai—Tuesdai hit was tho—He departede fram the Kinges court…Thane Wendesdai aniȝt [Ashm: Wendesdai nyȝt] out of the toun he nom; Sone amorwe thane Thursdai to Lincolne he com.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)122a/a : Þe þridde [fasting time] is in heruest in septembre & biginnynge þe nexte wednesday aftir holy roode day.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)263/3301 : Luna is þe fyrst planet þat regnes o þe Monday…Mars o þe Tuysday; Marcure, þe Wednysday.
- (1440) Doc.Kent in Bull.IHR 36 (PRO KB 27/715 m.19)89 : I, the seid Robert…knowliche and appele the seid John Seintcler…and Thomas Wolf…of that þat thei, the wodnysday in the thridde weke of lente…accordyd and falsly and felonysly conspirid how and in what wyse thei myghte sle and destroie Edward Gyldeford.
- (a1444) Paston2.7 : I troste to God to se ȝow at Norwich Tusday or Weddenesday next after Mikelmesse Day.
- (c1444) Paston2.14 : Wretyn right symply þe Wednesseday next to-fore þe fest of the Purificacion of Oure Lady.
- a1450 Ben.Rule(2) (Vsp A.25)1708 : In somer, fro witsunday be past, Wedinsday & friday sal þai fast, Bot if þai oþer swink or swete, In hay or corn with trauel grete.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)206/34 : In-to wytnys of this thyng sche put to here seele, The date at halso, the wonysday Afore wytsonday, the seuenyth ȝere…of kyng Edwarde, the sone of kyng henry.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)338/12 : The date at Godestowe, þe wodinsdai next a-fore midsomer, þe xxvj yere of þe reine of kinge Edwarde.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)638/2 : Hit was commaundid to þe shreue þat he shold make come þe foreseide abbas…at hegworth, þe wodeinsday aftur þe feste of seint Mathew þe apostle, to answere þe kinge.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)12/3 : When he was yn cradull, he fast Wennysday and Fryday, þe wheche dayes he nold sowke but ones yn þe day.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)40/27 : Yche Wenysday and Fryday he made hys confessour bete hym wyth a ȝarde apon þe backe al bare, as a chyld ys beten yn scole.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)70/33 : Þis Sexagesin bygynnyth þys day and endyth þe Wonnysday yn Astyr-weke.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)149/16 : Good men and woymen, þes þre dayes suyng, Monday, Tuysday, and Wanysday, ȝe schull fast and come to chyrch.
- a1500(c1465) SEChron.(Lamb 306)26 : In the same yere, the xxj daye of May, was the erthequake, the Wenesday a for Witsonday.
- -?-(1466) Will in Som.RS 16209 : I will that a taper of wex of a pound weight every yere during the termes of eny housing that I have…the Wennesday, Thursday, and goode Friday…be lighted.
c
- (1467) EPNSoc.14 (East Riding Yks.& York)196 : Wedynsday market.