Wednesday

English

Etymology

From Middle English Wednesday, from unattested Old English *wēdnesdæġ (“Wednesday”), synchronically an i-mutated form of attested wōdnesdæġ (itself from Proto-West Germanic *Wōdanas dag, its reflex Middle English Wodnesdei falling into disuse), from Proto-West Germanic *Wōdinas dag also attested in Old Frisian wednesdei and Middle Dutch wenesdach. In any case, a calque (interpretātiō germānica) of Latin diēs Mercuriī (“day of Mercury”) and Koine Ancient Greek ἡμέρα (hēméra, “day”) Ἑρμοῦ (Hermoû, “of Hermes”), via an association of the god Odin (“Woden”) with Mercury and Hermes. See also Japanese 水曜日 (“Mercury's day”).

Cognates

Cognate with Scots Wadensday (“Wednesday”), Yola Wennesdei (“Wednesday”), West Frisian woansdei (“Wednesday”), Afrikaans Woensdag (“Wednesday”), Central Franconian Jodesdaach (“Wednesday”), Dutch, West Flemish woensdag (“Wednesday”), Dutch Low Saxon woensdag, woonsdag, wonsdag (“Wednesday”), German Wodenstag, Wotanstag (“Wednesday”), Low German Goonsdag, Woonsdag (“Wednesday”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish onsdag (“Wednesday”), Faroese ónsdagur (“Wednesday”), Icelandic óðinsdagur (“Wednesday”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛnz.deɪ/, /ˈwɛnz.di/, (dated) /ˈwɛdn̩z.deɪ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛnz.deɪ/, /ˈwɛnz.di/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General American); /ˈwɛdn̩zdeɪ/:

  (file)

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈwenz.dæe/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛ(ʔə)nzde/
• (Geordie) IPA^(key): /ˈwɛdⁿnz.deɪ/
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɛ(ɖ).nəz.ɖe(j)/, /ˈʋɛnz.ɖe(j)/

• Hyphenation: Wednes‧day
• Rhymes: -ɛnzdeɪ, -ɛnzdi, -ɛnzdɪ, -enzdæe, -ɛnzde

Noun

Wednesday (plural Wednesdays)

2. The fourth day of the week in many religious traditions, and the third day of the week in systems using the ISO 8601 norm; it follows Tuesday and precedes Thursday.

   Synonym: (Quakerism) Fourth Day

   • 2025 April 16, Devan Cole and Katelyn Polantz, “Boasberg finds ‘probable cause exists’ to hold Trump administration in contempt for violating orders on deportation flights”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     US District Judge James Boasberg ruled Wednesday that “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders in mid-March halting the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.

Synonyms

• hump day (informal)
• Wed, Wed., Weds (abbreviation)

Symbols

• W, We
• ☿ (archaic)

Hypernyms

• day

Hyponyms

• Ash Wednesday
• Black Wednesday
• calendar Wednesday
• Easter Wednesday
• Good Wednesday
• Holy Wednesday
• Rebel Wednesday
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Spy Wednesday
• White Wednesday
• Whit Wednesday

Derived terms

• Wednesdays
• Woman Crush Wednesday
• Wednesbury
• Wednesday crucifixion theory
• Wednesdays in Mississippi

Descendants

• → Māori: Wenerei

Translations

day of the week

• Abkhaz: ахаша (axaŝa)
• Adyghe: бэрэскэжъый (bɛrɛskɛẑəj)
• Afar: arbaq
• Afrikaans: Woensdag (af)
• Akan: Wukuada
• Alabama: atótchìina, nihta atótchìina
• Albanian: e mërkurë (sq)
• Alutiiq: Pingayiin
• Amharic: ረቡዕ (räbuʿ)
• Amuzgo:

  Guerrero Amuzgo: mikluè

• Arabic: الْأَرْبِعَاء (ar) m (al-ʔarbiʕāʔ), يَوْم الْأَرْبِعَاء m (yawm al-ʔarbiʕāʔ)

  Egyptian Arabic: الأربع m (l-arrbaʕ)

  Hijazi Arabic: الأربعا m (al-ʔarbiʕa), الرَّبوع m (ar-rabūʕ)

  Moroccan Arabic: الاربعا (el-ārebʕa), الاربع (el-ārbaʕ)

• Aragonese: miércols (an) m
• Armenian: չորեքշաբթի (hy) (čʻorekʻšabtʻi)

  Old Armenian: չորեքշաբաթի (čʻorekʻšabatʻi)

• Aromanian: Njercuri f, Njercure f
• Assamese: বুধবাৰ (budhbar)
• Asturian: miércoles (ast) m
• Avar: арбагӏ (arbaʻ)
• Azerbaijani: çərşənbə (az)
• Bashkir: шаршамбы (şarşambı)
• Basque: asteazken (eu)
• Bats: ჴო̄ (qō)
• Belarusian: серада́ f (sjeradá)
• Bengali: বুধবার (bn) (budhbar)
• Bhojpuri: बुध (budh)
• Central Bikol: Miyerkoles
• Blackfoot: ííkaitaistssinao'p
• Breton: Merc'her (br) m, ^{(please verify)} dimerc'her (br) (adverb)
• Buginese: araba
• Bulgarian: сряда́ (bg) f (srjadá)
• Burmese: ဗုဒ္ဓဟူး (my) (buddha.hu:)
• Catalan: dimecres (ca) m
• Central Atlas Tamazight: ⴰⵀⴰⴷ (ahad)
• Chechen: кхаара (qaara)
• Cherokee: ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎦ (tsoine iga)
• Chichewa: Lachitatu
• Chickasaw: Nittak Atochchi'na', Nittak Hollo' Aaiklanna'
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 星期三 (sing¹ kei⁴ saam¹), 禮拜三 / 礼拜三 (lai⁵ baai³ saam¹), 周三 (zau¹ saam¹)

  Dungan: щинчисан (xinčisan), либэсан (libesan), чашанбэ (čašanbe)

  Hokkien: 禮拜三 / 礼拜三 (lé-pài-sam), 拜三 (pài-sam)

  Mandarin: 星期三 (zh) (xīngqīsān), 禮拜三 / 礼拜三 (zh) (lǐbàisān), 週三 / 周三 (zh) (zhōusān)

• Chuvash: юнкун (junk̬un)
• Cornish: de Merher m, dy'Mergher m
• Corsican: màrcuri
• Cree:

  Atikamekw: nicto kicikaw

• Crimean Tatar: çarşenbe
• Czech: středa (cs) f
• Dakota: Aŋpetuiyamni
• Dalmatian: misedma f
• Danish: onsdag (da) c
• Dutch: woensdag (nl) m
• Dzongkha: ཕུར་བུ (phur bu)
• Erzya: куншкачи (kunškači), середа (sereda)
• Esperanto: merkredo (eo)
• Estonian: kolmapäev (et)
• Farefare: Alaarba
• Faroese: mikudagur (fo) m, ónsdagur m
• Fijian: siga Vukelulu
• Finnish: keskiviikko (fi)
• French: mercredi (fr) m
• Frisian:

  North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: weedensdai

  Mooring: weensdi

  Sylt: Winjsdai

  West Frisian: woansdei (fy) c

• Friulian: miercus, miercui
• Fula:

  Adlam: 𞤀𞤤𞤢𞤪𞤦𞤢, 𞤐𞤶𞤫𞤧𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤫

  Latin: Alarba, Njeslaare

• Galician: mércores (gl) m, corta feira (gl) f, cuarta feira (gl) f
• Georgian: ოთხშაბათი (ka) (otxšabati)
• German: Mittwoch (de) m, Wotanstag m (poetic), Wodanstag m (obsolete, regional), Wodenstag (de) m (obsolete, regional)
• Gilbertese: Katenibong
• Greek: Τετάρτη (el) f (Tetárti)

  Ancient Greek: ἡμέρᾱ Ἑρμοῦ (hēmérā Hermoû), Ἑρμ(ε)ίᾱ (Herm(e)íā)

• Greenlandic: pingasunngorneq
• Guarani:

  Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} ararundy (gn)

• Gujarati: બુધવાર (gu) (budhvār)
• Haitian Creole: mèkredi
• Hausa: Laraba (ha)
• Hawaiian: Pōʻakolu
• Hebrew: יוֹם רְבִיעִי (he) m (yom revií), יום ד׳ m (yom dálet)
• Hiligaynon: Miyerkoles
• Hindi: बुधवार (hi) m (budhvār), बुध (hi) m (budh), ज्ञवार (hi) m (jñavār)
• Hungarian: szerda (hu)
• Hunsrik: Mittwoch m
• Iban: Hari Tiga
• Icelandic: miðvikudagur (is) m
• Ido: merkurdio (io)
• Indonesian: hari rabu
• Ingrian: sereta, kolmaspäivä
• Ingush: кхаьра (qära)
• Interlingua: mercuridi (ia)
• Irish: Céadaoin (ga) f
• Italian: mercoledì (it) m
• Japanese: 水曜日 (ja) (すいようび, suiyōbi), 水曜 (ja) (すいよう, suiyō)
• Javanese: ꦉꦧꦺꦴ (Rebo)
• Kabardian: бэрэжьей (kbd) (bɛrɛźej)
• Kalmyk: үлмҗ өдр (ülmj ödr)
• Kannada: ಬುಧವಾರ (kn) (budhavāra)
• Karelian: kolmaspäivy
• Kashmiri: بۄدوار (bọdvār)
• Kashubian: strzoda (csb) f
• Kazakh: сәрсенбі (kk) (särsenbı)
• Khmer: ថ្ងៃពុធ (km) (thngay put)
• Kongo: Lumbu kia ntatu
• Korean: 수요일(水曜日) (ko) (suyoil), 수요(水曜) (ko) (suyo)
• Kumyk: арбагюн (arbagün)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: چوارشەم (çwarşem), چوارشەمە (çwarşeme)

  Northern Kurdish: çarşem (ku)

• Kusaal: alaarba daat
• Kyrgyz: шаршемби (ky) (şarşembi)
• Ladin: mercol m
• Lakota: Aŋpétu Yámni
• Lao: ວັນພຸດ (lo) (wan phut), ພຸດ (phut)
• Latin: diēs Mercuriī (la) m or f, fēria quārta f (ecclesiastical), quārta fēria f (ecclesiastical)
• Latvian: trešdiena (lv) f
• Laz: ჯუმაჩხა (cumaçxa)
• Lezgi: арбе (arbe)
• Limburgish: woonsdig (li) m, goonsdig (li) m
• Lithuanian: trečiadienis (lt) m
• Livonian: kuolmõndpǟva
• Livvi: kolmaspäivy
• Lombard: mercoldí m
• Louisiana Creole: mékrédi, mèkrèdi, mærkrédi
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: woensdag (nds) (Gronings, Stellingwerfs, Sallans, Twents, Veluws), woonsdag (nds) (Twents, Veluws), wonsdag (nds) (Drents, Gronings)

  German Low German: Middeweek (nds) m, Mödweek, Merrweek, Woonsdag m

• Lü: ᦞᧃᦗᦳᧆ (vanpud)
• Luganda: Lwakusatu
• Luxembourgish: Mëttwoch (lb) m
• Macedonian: среда (mk) f (sreda)
• Makasar: araba
• Malay:

  Jawi: رابو (ms), اربع, هاري تيݢ (Sabah, Singapore)

  Rumi: Rabu (ms), Arbaa (ms), Hari Tiga (ms) (Sabah, Singapore)

• Malayalam: ബുധനാഴ്ച (ml) (budhanāḻca), ബുധൻ (ml) (budhaṉ)
• Maltese: l-Erbgħa
• Manchu: ᠮᡠᡴᡝ
  ᡠᠰᡳᠩᡤᡳ (muke usinggi)
• Manx: Jecrean
• Māori: Wenerei, Rātoru, Rāapa
• Maranao: Arba'a
• Marathi: बुधवार (mr) m (budhvār)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: вӱргече (vürgeče)

• Mingrelian: ჯუმაშხა (ǯumašxa)
• Mirandese: quarta-feira f
• Mizo: Nilaini
• Mòcheno: mitta m
• Mokilese: niejil
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: лхагва (mn) (lxagva) (written), гурав дахь өдөр (gurav daxʹ ödör) (spoken), гарагийн гурван (garagiin gurvan) (China)

  Mongolian script: ᡀᠠᠭᠪᠠ (lhaɣba), ᠭᠤᠷᠪᠠ
  ᠳ᠋ᠠᠬᠢ
  ᠡᠳᠦᠷ (ɣurba daki edür), ᠭᠠᠷᠠᠭ ᠦᠨ
  ᠭᠤᠷᠪᠠᠨ (ɣarag-ün ɣurban)

• Moore: arba, laarba
• Navajo: Tágíjį́ Ndaʼanish
• Neapolitan: miercurì
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: onsdag (no) m

  Nynorsk: onsdag (nn) m, mekedag m (i.e., ‘midtvekedag’), mørkedag m (dialectal, Tinn in Telemark)

• Occitan: dimècres (oc) m
• Odia: ବୁଧବାର (budhabāra)
• Ojibwe: aabitoose
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: срѣда f (srěda)

• Old East Slavic: середа f (sereda)
• Old English: wōdnesdæġ m
• Old Norse: óðinsdagr m, miðvikudagr m
• Oromo: Roobii (om)
• Ossetian:

  Digor Ossetian: ӕртиккӕг (ærtikkæg)

  Iron Ossetian: ӕртыццӕг (ærtyccæg)

• Pannonian Rusyn: стреда f (streda)
• Papiamentu: diarason
• Pashto: چارشنبه (ps) f (čāršanbá)
• Pennsylvania German: Mittwoch m
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: چَهارْشَنْبِه (čahâršanbe)

• Plautdietsch: Medwäakj m
• Polish: środa (pl) f
• Portuguese: quarta-feira (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਬੁੱਧਵਾਰ (pa) (buddhavār)
• Quechua: mirkulis, quyllurchaw
• Romani: tetradǐ f
• Romanian: miercuri (ro) f
• Romansh: mesemna, mesjamna, measeanda, mesemda, marculdi, marcurdi
• Russian: среда́ (ru) f (sredá)
• Rwanda-Rundi: Kwagatatu
• Sami:

  Inari Sami: koskokko

  Kildin Sami: ся̄рэдт (searedt), куалмантпе̄ййв (kualmantpiejjv), кэ̄сскпоаррк (kēsskpårrk)

  Northern Sami: gaskavahkku

  Skolt Sami: seärad

  Southern Sami: gaskevåhkoe

• Samoan: Aso Lulu
• Sanskrit: बुधवार (sa) m (budhavāra)
• Sardinian: mélcuris m, mércuis, mérculis, mércuris, mèrcuris
• Scots: Wadensday
• Scottish Gaelic: Diciadain (gd) m
• Semai: Rabu
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: среда (sh) f, сриједа (sh) f

  Latin: sreda (sh) f, srijeda (sh) f

• Shona: Chitatu
• Sicilian: mèrcuri (scn), mercuridìa (scn), mièrcuri (scn)
• Sindhi: اَربع (sd) (arbʻ), ٻُڌَرُ (ḇudharu), ٻُڌُ (ḇudhu)
• Sinhalese: බදාදා (si) (badādā)
• Slovak: streda (sk) f
• Slovene: sréda (sl) f
• Somali: arbaco
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: srjoda f

  Upper Sorbian: srjeda f

• Sotho: Laboraro (st)
• Spanish: miércoles (es) m
• Sranan Tongo: dridewroko
• Sundanese: rebo (su)
• Svan: ჯჷმა̈შ (ǯəmäš)
• Swahili: Jumatano
• Swedish: onsdag (sv) c
• Tabasaran: гьербе (herbe)
• Tagalog: Miyerkoles, miyerkoles
• Tahitian: Mahana toru
• Tajik: чоршанбе (tg) (čoršanbe), чаҳоршанбе (tg) (čahoršanbe)
• Tamil: புதன் (ta) (putaṉ)
• Taos: míalkulisi
• Tarantino: mercrudìe
• Tatar: чәршәмбе (tt) (çärşämbe)
• Tausug: Albaa
• Telugu: బుధవారము (te) (budhavāramu)
• Tetum: loron-kuarta
• Thai: วันพุธ (th) (wan pút), พุธ (th) (pút)
• Tibetan: གཟའ་ལྷག་པ (gza' lhag pa)
• Tok Pisin: trinde
• Tongan: Pulelulu
• Tswana: laboraro
• Turkish: çarşamba (tr)
• Turkmen: çarşenbe, hoşgün
• Udmurt: вирнунал (virnunal)
• Ukrainian: середа́ (uk) f (seredá)
• Urdu: بُدھ (ur) m (budh), بُدْھوار m (budhvār), چَہار شَن٘بَہ m (cahār śamba)
• Uyghur: چارشەنبە (charshenbe)
• Uzbek: chorshanba (uz)
• Vai: ꕉꕞꕒ (Aláɓa)
• Venetan: mèrcore (vec) m
• Vietnamese: thứ tư (vi)
• Volapük: vedel (vo), folüdel (older term), vesdel (older term)
• Votic: kõlmõzpäive
• Walloon: mierkidi (wa) m, dimiek (wa) m
• Welsh: dydd Mercher (cy) m
• Winnebago: Hąąp Hitanįhą
• Wolof: Àllarba
• Xhosa: uLwesithathu
• Yakan: Alaba'a
• Yakut: сэрэдэ (serede)
• Yiddish: מיטוואָך (yi) m (mitvokh)
• Yup'ik: Pingayirin
• Zazaki: çarşeme (diq)
• Zulu: uLwesithathu

Proper noun

Wednesday

1. (UK, soccer) Nickname for Sheffield Wednesday of the Football League.

Adverb

Wednesday (not comparable)

1. (US, Canada, informal in UK) On Wednesday.

Translations

on Wednesday

• Dutch: 's woensdags (nl), woensdags (nl)
• Esperanto: merkrede
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: woansdeis (fy)

• Galician: o mércores
• Georgian: ოთხშაბათს (otxšabats)
• Irish: Dé Céadaoin (ga)
• Latvian: trešdien
• Manx: Jecrean
• Romanian: miercuri (ro), miercurea (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian: средом
• Slovak: v stredu
• Turkish: çarşamba (tr)
• Volapük: vedelo (vo), folüdelo, vesdelo
• Welsh: ddydd Mercher

See also

• days of the week (appendix): Sunday · Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday ^[edit]

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wedenesday, wednesday, Wednesdei, Wedonesday
• weodnesdei (AB language); wodnysday (Kent); wodnesdai, wodinsdai (Oxfordshire)
• Wennessday, Wensday, Wonnysday, wonysday (syncopic, mostly Late Middle English)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wōdnesdæġ, from Proto-West Germanic *Wōdanas dag.

Forms in /ɛ/ likely reflect *wēdnesdæġ, from Proto-West Germanic *Wōdinas dag; compare Middle Dutch wenesdach (for usual woensdach) and Old Frisian wernisdei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɔdnəzˌdæi̯/, /ˈwɔdənzˌdæi̯/, (syncopated) /ˈwɔnzˌdæi̯/ (from wōdnesdæġ)
• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛdnəzˌdæi̯/, /ˈwɛdənzˌdæi̯/, (syncopated) /ˈwɛnzˌdæi̯/ (from *wēdnesdæġ)

Noun

Wednesday

1. Wednesday (fourth day of the week)

Derived terms

• Aschewednysday

Descendants

• English: Wednesday
  • → Māori: Wenerei
• Middle Scots: Wedinsday, Wednisday, Wadinsday
  • Scots: Wadensday, Wednesday
• Yola: Wennesdei

See also

• days of the week: wykedayes (appendix): Sonday · Monday · Tewesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saterday ^[edit]

References

• “Wednes-dai, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.