noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɛmbə ˌdeɪ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈɛmbɚ ˌdeɪ/
1
noun
Meaning 1
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).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Embering
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a day set aside for fasting and prayer
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Christian holy day
History
Etymology
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.
Across languages
Translations
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Czech:
Suché den
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Danish:
Tamperdag
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
French:
Quatre-Temps
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Galician:
témpora
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
German:
Quatember
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Italian:
tempora
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Old English:
ymbrendæġ
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Polish:
suche dni
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Portuguese:
têmpora
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Spanish:
témpora
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
Vietnamese:
Chay mùa
— any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer
