Ember day

Meaning

Noun

• 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).

Origin

• From Middle English ember-dai, imber-dai, imbre-dai, from Old English ymbren-dæg. Ymbren is possibly a corrupted form of Old English ymbryne, from ymb (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi) + ryne (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)r ̊-nw-). Alternatively, Ember could be a corruption of Latin quatuor tempora, from which German Quatember is derived.