Ember days

British  

plural noun

1. RC Church Anglican Church any of four groups of three days (always Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) of prayer and fasting, the groups occurring after Pentecost, after the first Sunday of Lent, after the feast of St Lucy (Dec 13), and after the feast of the Holy Cross (Sept 14)

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Etymology

Origin of Ember days

Old English ymbrendǣg, from ymbren, perhaps from ymbryne a (recurring) period, from ymb around + ryne a course + dǣg day

Example Sentences

The Ember days, you know, were named as movable dates for prayer and fasting by the Council of Placentia in 1095.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the December Ember days came, the wind was, over the period, predominantly from the East.

From Time Magazine Archive

For years I have been using the wind direction on Ember days as a basis on which to forecast.

From Time Magazine Archive

It seems as if we at least ought to recollect our Ember days, though I am ashamed to think we never did till this time last year.”

From The Three Brides by Yonge, Charlotte Mary

This lady was a good Catholic to the necessary extent of hearing a mass on Sundays, abstaining from meat on Fridays and Ember days, and making her “Easters.”

From At Fault by Chopin, Kate