Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Shrove Tuesday

American  
[shrohv tooz-dey, -dee, tyooz-] / ˈʃroʊv ˈtuz deɪ, -di, ˈtyuz- /

noun

  1. the last day of Shrovetide, once observed as a time of confession and absolution, later as a season of merrymaking before Lent.

Shrove Tuesday British  

noun

  1. the last day of Shrovetide; Pancake 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

Usage

What is Shrove Tuesday? Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday in some Christian traditions. It is the last day of Shrovetide, the three-day period before the beginning of Lent, which is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter. Shrovetide also includes Shrove Sunday and Shrove Monday. Shrove Tuesday is sometimes called Pancake Day due to the tradition of eating pancakes on that day. The day before Ash Wednesday can also be called Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday).

Etymology

Origin of Shrove Tuesday

First recorded in 1490–1500

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.