Childermas
noun
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Childermas
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childermas
childermasnounHoly Innocents Day, Dec 28
Childermas
American
[chil-der-muhs]
/ ˈtʃɪl dər məs /
noun
Chiefly British.
childermas
British
/ ˈtʃɪldəˌmæs /
noun
Etymology
Origin of Childermas
before 1000; Middle English chyldermasse, equivalent to Old English cildra (genitive plural of cild child ) + mæsse Mass
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And not only among the Romans and Jews, but also among Christians, a like custom of observing such days is used, especially Childermas or Innocent's day.
From Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects by Aubrey, John
These Childermas festivities took place in monastic as well as in secular churches, but they seem to have been more common in nunneries than in male communities.
From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen
The king of the cockneys is mentioned among the regulations for the sports and shows formerly held in the Middle Temple on Childermas Day, where he had his officers, a marshal, constable, butler, &c.
From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Grose, Francis
Childermas was there called Dyzemas and a saying ran: “What is begun on Dyzemas Day will never be finished.”
From Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Miles, Clement A.
In the Prologue to the Miracle Play, Childermas Day, 1512, the minstrels are requested to 'do their diligence,' and at the end of the Play to 'geve us a daunce.'
From Shakespeare and Music With Illustrations from the Music of the 16th and 17th centuries by Naylor, Edward W. (Edward Woodall)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
