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Thursday

[ thurz-dey, -dee ]

noun

  1. the fifth day of the week, following Wednesday. : Th., Thur., Thurs.


Thursday

/ ˈθɜːzdɪ; -deɪ /

noun

  1. the fifth day of the week; fourth day of the working week
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Thursday1

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English ճܰæ, from Old Danish ճū岹, literally, “Thor's day”; replacing Old English Thunres dæg; cognate with Dutch donderdag, German Donnerstag (all representing Germanic translation of Late Latin 徱ŧ Jovis ). See Thor, thunder, day
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Thursday1

Old English ճܰæ, literally: Thor's day; related to Old High German Donares tag; see Thor , thunder , day
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Parties are making their final pitch to voters ahead of Thursday's local elections in England, as Sir Keir Starmer faces the first major electoral test of his premiership.

From

With that deadline set to expire on Thursday Benn confirmed he was now seeking leave to appeal the judgement to the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court.

From

We are in the final four in a massive competition in Europe and use that to have a great tie on Thursday and in Bodo as well.

From

Those directives “may well be inconsistent” with the intent of Congress when it passed legislation standing up the division, the senators wrote, and must be disclosed to them for review by Thursday.

From

Temperatures are expected to peak at around 28C on Thursday - the first day of May - though could reach 27C on Wednesday.

From

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More About Thursday

doesThursday mean?

Thursday is the weekday between Wednesday and Friday.

In much of North and South America, where most countries (including the U.S. and Canada) consider the calendar week to begin on Sunday, Thursday is the fifth day of the week. (In other places, where the week is considered to begin on Saturday or Monday, Thursday is the sixth or fourth day of the week.)

Regardless of when the week officially begins, in many places Thursday is considered the fourth day of the workweek, the five-day span from Monday to Friday during which many people work (with Saturday and Sunday considered the weekend). People famously love Friday because it’s when the workweek ends and the weekend begins, and Thursday is often thought of as being almost Friday.

The word Thursdays can be used as an adverb meaning every Thursday or on Thursdays, as in I work Thursdays or The shop is closed Thursdays.

To indicate the general time of day during which something will happen on a Thursday, the word can be followed by the general time, as in Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon, Thursday evening, and Thursday night.

Example: At least it’s Thursday already—only one day of work between now and the weekend!

Where doesThursday come from?

The first records of Thursday come from before 950. It comes from the Old English ճܰæ, from Old Danish ճū岹, meaning “Thor‘s day.” This is a translation of (or is modeled on) the Latin term 徱ŧ Jovis, meaning “Jupiter’s day.” In many Germanic languages, the Roman god Jupiter was subbed out in favor of Thor, the hammer-wielding god of thunder in Norse mythology.

Thursday is just one of the days of the week named after a mythological figure. Tuesday derives its name from Tiu, war god of Anglo-Saxon mythology. Wednesday gets its name from the Anglo-Saxon god Woden, the equivalent of the Norse god Odin—Thor’s father. Friday is thought to be named for love goddess Freya or chief goddess Frigg, wife of Odin.

In Christianity, Holy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, marking the day on which the Last Supper is believed to have taken place.

In the U.S., the only national holiday to fall exclusively on a Thursday is Thanksgiving, which is observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

If you’re curious to know more about the history behind the word Thursday, just read our article on the name’s fascinating origins.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to Thursday?

  • Thursdays (plural noun, adverb)
  • Thur (abbreviation)
  • Thur. (abbreviation)
  • Thurs (abbreviation)
  • Thurs. (abbreviation)

are some words that share a root or word element with Thursday?

are some words that often get used in discussing Thursday?

How isThursday used in real life?

People tend to like Thursday because it’s almost Friday, when the weekend begins.

Try usingThursday!

Which mythological figure is Thursday named for?

A. Odin
B. Thor
C. Loki
D. Thanos

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Thurs.Thursday Island