Where does “Ash Wednesday” come from?
Ash Wednesday (English) comes from Middle English Aschewednysday, from Middle English asshe, from Old English æsc, from Old English æsċ, from Old English trēo, from Proto-West Germanic treu, from Proto-Germanic trewą, from English doru — hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree.
Ash Wednesday (English): The Wednesday 46 days before Easter in a given...
Definitions
- The Wednesday 46 days before Easter in a given...
Ancestry of “Ash Wednesday”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Aschewednysday | Ash Wednesday |
| 2 | Middle English | asshe | ashes; The remnants of a lifeform; The matter... |
| 3 | Old English | æsc | ash tree; spear; ship |
| 4 | Old English | æsċ | ash tree; ash, spear, lance, ship |
| 5 | Old English | trēo | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | treu | tree; wood |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | trewą | tree |
| 8 | English | doru | Alternative form of dory |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | δόρυ | wood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | dóru | tree |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dóru | tree |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | drew- | hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree |