Forms (see also DAY and SUNDAY): 1 (obl.) Hwitan Sunnandæʓ, 2 wit(te)-sunnedei, 3 White(n)sune(n)dæi, hwitesune-, Witeson(ne)-, wit-sune-, wit(e)sone-, 4 wit sonday, wijt sundai, Wittsunday, whytsonen-, wit(te)sone-, 4–6 Witsonday(e, 5 Whytesonday, witsonen, -on-, witsun-, wyt-, wyth-so(u)nday, wythsson-, Qwytsonn-, qwyteson(e)-, 6 Whit sonday, Whit(t)son-, Whytson-, Witsounday, whitson, Wittson daye, Sc. Witsounda, Vyt-, Vitso(u)nday, 6– Whitsunday, 7– Whit Sunday, (Whit-Sunday, 9 Whitsun-Day). β. 4 Sc. Qwhyssonday, 4–5 qvhissonday, 5 w(h)issonday, whysunday, 9 dial. Whussenday. [late OE. Hwíta Sunnandæʓ lit. ‘white Sunday’ (found once only and in oblique form Hwítan S.); whence app. ON. hvítasunnudagr in the same sense, also hvítasunnudagsaptann, -nátt, -vika (ON. hvítadagr ‘white day,’ hvítadróttinsdagr ‘white Lord’s-day,’ hvítadagavika Whitsun week, cannot be taken as evidence of an independent Norse origin; they are prob. due to Icelandic attempts to obliterate heathen traces from the name of the festival). The epithet ‘white’ is generally taken to refer to the ancient custom of the wearing of white baptismal robes by the newly baptized at the feast of Pentecost (cf. Dominica in albis, the name of the First Sunday after Easter, Low Sunday, given for the same reason).
The formal analogues of Whitsunday current on the Continent in Low German and neighboring areas are mostly applied to the First Sunday after Easter (cf. above), or the First Sunday in Lent (prob. from the white church-hangings then used; cf. OFris. hwita tornsdey, Du. Witte Donderdag Maundy Thursday), e.g., MLG witsondach, MDu. wittensondagh, and (from LG.) MDa. hvidesøndag, MSw. hvita sunnodaghur. (No confirmation has been found of Kilian’s ‘witten-son-dagh, vetus Fland. Dominica Pentecostes,’ and Cotgrave’s ‘Dimenche de blanches, Palmes-Sunday’ and Hexham’s ‘Witten Sondagh, Palme-Sunday’ are prob. blunders.]
In earlier OE. the name of Whitsunday was pentecosten (gen. -enes), the Græco-Latin name (see PENTECOST and cf. Goth. paintekusten acc.), which was adopted in other Teut. languages, e.g., OS. (te) pincostôn, MDu. pinxteren, Du. pinkster, OHG. (zi) *pfinkustîn (fimfchustim), MHG. pfingesten, G. Pfingsten, (M)LG. pinksten, Sw. Pingst, Da. Pinse(dag): see PINKSTER.
As the name of a Scottish term-day, Whitsunday (stressed on the final syllable) has been long dissociated from the church festival.
According to different apprehensions of the composition of the word (the origin of which was obscured by the shortening of the first syllable), it has been divided either as Whitsun day or as Whit Sunday, and the first elements of both of these have been used attributively in the same sense: see WHITSUN and Whit Monday, etc. below.]
1. The seventh Sunday after Easter, observed as a festival of the Christian Church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost: = PENTECOST 2.
c. 1100. O. E. Chron., an. 1067 (MS. D.). On þisan Eastron com se kyng to Wincestre, & þa wæron Eastra on x kal. April, & sona æfter þam com Mathild seo hlæfdie hider to lande, & Ealdred arcebiscop hiʓ ʓehalʓode to cwene … on Hwitan Sunnandæʓ.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 45. Muneȝeing of þam hali gast þe he sende in his apostles on þon dei þe is icleped wit-sunne-dei.
c. 1205. Lay., 17481. Þat al his folc … come to Amberes-buri … to White-sunedæie.
c. 1290. St. Brendan, 151, in S. Eng. Leg., 224. Þer ȝe schulle þis ester beo & þis wit-sonedai also.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 445. In a Witsonday þe mayde was i-cristened.
1398. Munim. de Melros (Bann.), 488. At þe fest of qvhissonday.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 2278. Haue hatte of floures as fresh as may Chapelett of Roses of wissonday.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 16. He made a feste, the soth to say, Opon the Witsononday, At Kerdyf, that es in Wales.
1481. Monk of Evesham (Arb.), 95. On ascensyon day and wythssonday he put no lyght to hym, the whiche yn these festis specialy were wonte to brenne.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, clxxxi. 731. On a witsonday themperour and thempresse helde estate royall at there palayes for ye solempnyte of that day.
1634. Brereton, Trav. (Chetham Soc.), 4. The next morning early, being Whit Sunday, was discovered land.
1827. Keble, Chr. Year (heading of poem), Whitsunday.
1868. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., I. 188. The coronation took place at Westminster on Whitsun-Day.
† b. Used for the actual day of Pentecost on which the event took place: see PENTECOST 1. Obs.
a. 1240. Lofsong, in O. E. Hom., I. 209. Þe ȝeoue of þe holi goste þet þu on hwite sune dai sendest þine deorewurðe deciples.
c. 1275. Passion our Lord, 657, in O. E. Misc., 56. At þon heye vndarne, a wit-suneday … Þe holy gost heom com vp-on in fury tunge.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, i. (Petrus), 40. Petir broucht to cristis fay Thre thowsand men on witsonday.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), IV. 351. Bytwene þe ascencioun, þat is holy Þorsday, and Witsonday, Mathias was i-chose.
2. (In form Whitsunday or Whitsun Day.) One of the Scottish quarter-days or term-days (see TERM-DAY b), ordinarily May 15, but in certain cases May 26 (= May 15 Old Style) or May 28.
1450. Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 84/1. Full powar … my malis … to raise & ressave, my Witsondais to set and to halde.
1539. Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844), I. 164. Mertimes and Vytsonday. Ibid. (1541), 174. Thre merkis, to be payit be the said maisteris of wark at Vitsounday and Mertimess be equall portionis.
1693. Sc. Acts Will & Mary, c. 40 (1822), IX. 304/2. Our Soveraigne Lord and Lady The King and Queens Majesties … Declare that the Fifteenth day of May was since the date of the forsaid Act, and shall be in all time comeing in place of the former Terme of Whitsunday, to all effects whatsoever.
1905. Glasgow Herald, 10 June, 10.
3. attrib. in senses 1 and 2.
1451. Churchw. Acc., Yatton (Som. Rec. Soc.), 93. The Wendisdaye of Wytsondaye tyme.
1483. Acta Audit., in Acta Dom. Conc., II. Introd. 108. The malis of the samyn landis of the Witsonday terme last bipast.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxvi. 544. On wytsondaye evyn.
1503. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., II. 297. To the thre wemen that rokkit and kepit the barnes, thair Witsonday fee, iij li.
1503. Sc. Acts Jas. IV. (1814), II. 243/2. Apon thurisday in witsonday wolk.
c. 1557. Wills & Inv. N. C. (Surtees, 1835), I. 153. Debtes … to my lorde of durh’m for whitson daye rent of thold p’ke xls.
So Whit Monday, Whit Tuesday, the Monday and Tuesday following Whit Sunday; also † Whit Wednesday, Thursday, formerly called Whitsun Monday, etc.: see WHITSUN 1. (Whit Saturday is in occas. recent use for the day before Whit Sunday, formerly called Whitsun eve.) So Whitweek, the week beginning with Whit Sunday.
1557. Q. Mary, in 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. II. 31. Untill the viiith daye of this present moneth whiche shall be Whitmondaye.
1665. Wonders if not Miracles V. Gertrux, 5. I went up thither … on White-munday.
1778. Eng. Gazetteer (ed. 2), s.v. Eye, The market is on Saturday, the fair on Whit-Monday. Ibid., Linfield,… with 3 fairs, on May 6, on Whit-Tuesday, and on October 28. Ibid., Llanbeder, Cardiganshire … has … fairs on Whit-Wednesday, July 10 [etc.].
1839. Penny Cycl., XIII. 403/1. Whit-Thursday.
1867. trans. C’tess Hahn-Hahn’s Fathers of Desert, 365. In the night between Whitsunday and Whitmonday.
1869. Blackmore, Lorna D., lxxiv. It was now Whit-Tuesday, and the lilacs all in blossom.
1899. Daily News, 18 May, 7/1. Whit-week would be a very good time to close the schools.
