definitions

Ember day

noun

any of the days in the quarterly three-day period of prayer and fasting (the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, after Whitsunday, after Sept. 14, and after Dec. 13) observed in the Roman Catholic Church and other Western churches.

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Origin of Ember day

before 1050; Middle English ymber day, Old English ymbrendæg, plural -dagas, equivalent to ymbryne recurrence (ymb(e) around + ryne a running) + dæg day
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for ember days

Ember days

pl n

RC Church Anglican Church any of four groups of three days (always Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) of prayer and fasting, the groups occurring after Pentecost, after the first Sunday of Lent, after the feast of St Lucy (Dec 13), and after the feast of the Holy Cross (Sept 14)

Word Origin for Ember days

Old English ymbrendǣg, from ymbren, perhaps from ymbryne a (recurring) period, from ymb around + ryne a course + dǣg day
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