Whitsunday

[ hwit-suhn-dey, -dee, wit-; hwit-suhn-dey, wit- ]

/ ˈʰwɪtˈsʌn deɪ, -di, ˈwɪt-; ˈʰwɪt sənˌdeɪ, ˈwɪt- /

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noun

the seventh Sunday after Easter, celebrated as a festival in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

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Origin of Whitsunday

before 1100; Middle English whitsonenday,Old English Hwīta Sunnandæg white Sunday; probably so called because the newly baptized wore white robes on that day

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Whitsunday in a sentence

Congress is nearing a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, and lawmakers made their cases for—and against—it Sunday.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That was accomplished by cops such as the one whose picture was clutched so tightly by his widow on Sunday.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Scott, who died Sunday at 49, could go from evoking a Baptist preacher to quoting Public Enemy.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When ‘Downton Abbey’ returns Sunday night, its fashion fans are in for a familiar treat.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Those who are not working on Sunday will almost certainly attend the funeral for Liu.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A little boy aged two years and four months was deprived of a pencil from Thursday to Sunday for scribbling on the wall-paper.
Children's Ways|James Sully
And sure enough when Sunday came, and the pencil was restored to him, he promptly showed nurse his picture.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The fact that the day following the punishment parade was a Sunday brought about a certain relaxation from discipline.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The rapid spread of the revolt was not a whit less marvelous than its lack of method or cohesion.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Hagley Road, on Sunday evenings, is particularly affected by some as their favourite promenade.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell

British Dictionary definitions for Whitsunday (1 of 2)

Whitsunday

/ (ˌhwɪtˈsʌndɪ, ˌwɪt-) /

noun

(in Scotland) May 15, one of the four quarter days

British Dictionary definitions for Whitsunday (2 of 2)

Whit Sunday

noun

the seventh Sunday after Easter, observed as a feast in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles 50 days after EasterAlso called: Pentecost

Word Origin for Whit Sunday

Old English hwīta sunnandæg white Sunday, probably named after the ancient custom of wearing white robes at or after baptism

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