Whitsunday

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

noun

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

Whitsunday

/ ˌwɪt-; ˌhwɪtˈsʌndɪ /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Whitsunday¹

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

Example Sentences

“The next 24 hours is critical for our communities, all the way down from Cardwell down to the Whitsunday area, to prepare for this crossing,” Chelepy said.

From Seattle Times

Australia’s fleet of more than 40 European-designed Taipans has been grounded since July 28 when one crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a nighttime training operation in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.

From Seattle Times

Recovering the black box was a priority to help determine the cause of the crash of the MRH-90 Taipan during a nighttime operation July 28 in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.

From Seattle Times

The helicopter went down near the Whitsunday Islands during Exercise Talisman Sabre - a massive training operation which every two years gathers 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States, and several other nations.

From BBC

The helicopter crashed during a nighttime exercise with the United States and other nations near the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef.

From Seattle Times