maundy
Americannoun
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the ceremony of washing the feet of poor people, especially commemorating Jesus' washing of His disciples' feet on Maundy Thursday.
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Also called maundy money. money distributed as alms in conjunction with the ceremony of maundy or on Maundy Thursday.
noun
Etymology
Origin of maundy
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English maunde, from Old French mandé, from Latin mandātum “command, mandate” (from the opening phrase novum mandātum (Vulgate) of Jesus' words to the disciples after He had washed their feet); see mandate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All's gone, and death hath taken Away from us Our maundy; thus Thy widows stand forsaken.
From A selection from the lyrical poems of Robert Herrick by Palgrave, Francis Turner
Nipter, nip′tėr, n. the ecclesiastical ceremony of washing the feet—the same as maundy.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Cardinal Wolsey visited the abbey in the 17th year of the reign of Henry the Eighth, and washed and kissed the feet of fifty-nine poor people, which ceremony was called "keeping his maundy."
From A Guide to Peterborough Cathedral Comprising a brief history of the monastery from its foundation to the present time, with a descriptive account of its architectural peculiarities and recent improvements; compiled from the works of Gunton, Britton, and original & authentic documents by Phillips, George S. (George Searle)
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.
