Ember day
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Ember day
- /ˈɛmbə ˌdeɪ/ UK
- /ˈɛmbɚ ˌdeɪ/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English ember-dai, imber-dai, imbre-dai (“Ember day”), from Old English ymbrendæg. Ymbren is possibly a corrupted form of Old English ymbryne (“period, revolution of time”), from ymb (“around, about”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“around, about”)) + ryne (“path along which motion occurs; course”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)r ̊-nw- (“to flow, move, run”)). Alternatively, Ember could be a corruption of Latin quatuor tempora (“four periods”), from which German Quatember (“Embertide”) is derived.
noun Ember days · ember day
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Any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that are set aside for fasting and prayer. In Western Christianity they are usually the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsunday, Holy Cross Day (14 September), and Saint Lucy's Day (13 December).
Days of Faſting or Abſtinence. [...] The Ember-days at the four Seaſons, being the Wedneſday, Friday, and Saturday after #92;#123; the First Sunday in Lent. / The Feaſt of Pentecoſt. / September 14. / December 13.
Similar: Embering
Translations
Talk about this word "Ember day." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ember%20day. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Ember day. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ember%20day "Ember day." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ember%20day.Cite this
@misc{ember_day_2026,
title = {Ember day},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ember%20day},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
