Rosenmontag

German

Etymology

From West Central German dialects. Analysable as Rose (“rose”) +‎ Montag (“Monday”), but originally probably equivalent to standard German rasender Montag (“mad, frantic, frenetic Monday”). The forms Rosen (“roses”) and rasen (“to rush, rage, be frantic”) merge in some dialects, e.g. in the Palatinate. Dialects that do maintain a distinction, however, generally use the word for “rose” (compare Central Franconian Rusemondaach), meaning that the reinterpretation must be rather old.

Pronunciation

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Noun

Rosenmontag m (genitive Rosenmontages, plural Rosenmontage)

1. Rosenmontag, Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday, Hall Monday (the Monday before Ash Wednesday, highlight of the German carnival season)

See also

• Karneval
• Fasching
• Fastnacht