Sunday

¹

[ suhn-dey, -dee ]

noun

1. the first day of the week, observed as the Sabbath by most Christian sects.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Sunday.
2. used, done, taking place, or being as indicated only on or as if on Sundays:

   a Sunday matinée.

Sunday

²

[ suhn-dey, -dee ]

noun

1. William Ashley [ash, -lee], Billy Sunday, 1862–1935, U.S. evangelist.
2. a female given name.

Sunday

/ -deɪ; ˈsʌndɪ /

noun

1. the first day of the week and the Christian day of worship

Other Words From

• Sunday·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sunday¹

before 900; Middle English sun(nen)day, Old English sunnandæg, translation of Latin diēs sōlis, itself translation of Greek hēméra hēlíou day of the sun; cognate with German Sonntag

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sunday¹

Old English sunnandæg, translation of Latin diēs sōlis day of the sun, translation of Greek hēmera hēliou; related to Old Norse sunnu dagr, German Sonntag

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. a month of Sundays, an indeterminately great length of time:

   She hadn't taken a vacation in a month of Sundays.

More idioms and phrases containing Sunday

In addition to the idiom beginning with Sunday , also see month of Sundays .

Example Sentences

On Tuesday, Sanders told reporters that everything was “fine” and that everything was good between him and the school and city after the unfortunate aftermath of Sunday’s game.

From Washington Post

Current options include Craig Anderson, who got his first start for the Capitals on Sunday in a 4-3 win over the Devils, and Ilya Samsonov, who is on the taxi squad.

From Washington Post

Hotel employees who entered his room on Saturday and Sunday found him sitting on a couch in a slouched-over position and “assumed he was sleeping and left the room,” the examiner’s office reportedly stated.

From Washington Post

She also shared information for flights departing Houston on Wednesday and returning on Sunday.

From Washington Post

Limbaugh brought this niche approach to political radio, which could now be crafted for listeners who found network news too neutral and the Sunday public affairs programs too dry.

From Washington Post

Congress is nearing a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, and lawmakers made their cases for—and against—it Sunday.

From The Daily Beast

That was accomplished by cops such as the one whose picture was clutched so tightly by his widow on Sunday.

From The Daily Beast

Scott, who died Sunday at 49, could go from evoking a Baptist preacher to quoting Public Enemy.

From The Daily Beast

When ‘Downton Abbey’ returns Sunday night, its fashion fans are in for a familiar treat.

From The Daily Beast

Those who are not working on Sunday will almost certainly attend the funeral for Liu.

From The Daily Beast

A little boy aged two years and four months was deprived of a pencil from Thursday to Sunday for scribbling on the wall-paper.

From Project Gutenberg

And sure enough when Sunday came, and the pencil was restored to him, he promptly showed nurse his picture.

From Project Gutenberg

The fact that the day following the punishment parade was a Sunday brought about a certain relaxation from discipline.

From Project Gutenberg

Hagley Road, on Sunday evenings, is particularly affected by some as their favourite promenade.

From Project Gutenberg

So, when Sunday night come, and he preached in the school-house, he had quite a bunch of punchers corralled there to hear him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• day off
• rest day

More About Sunday

What does Sunday mean?

Sunday is the day between Saturday and Monday.

In North and South America, most countries (including the U.S. and Canada) consider the calendar week to begin on Sunday, making it the first day of the week. In other places, including in much of Europe and Asia, the week is considered to begin on Monday, making Sunday the seventh and final day of the week. In parts of the Middle East and other places, the week is considered to begin on Saturday, making Sunday the second day of the week.

Regardless of when the week officially begins, in many places Sunday is considered (along with Saturday) one of the two days that make up the weekend, during which many people do not work. In contrast, the other five days, Monday through Friday, are considered weekdays, which make up the workweek (or school week). In this sense, Sunday is not considered a weekday but a weekend day. 

Many people’s favorite day is Saturday because it’s the official start of the weekend, with another weekend day ahead of it—Sunday. Sunday is often enjoyed as a day of recreation and rest (some people call it Sunday Funday). But it comes with a catch: it’s followed by Monday, which is famously disliked due to being the first day of the workweek. (This feeling of dread over the weekend ending is sometimes called the Sunday scaries.)

The word Sundays can be used as an adverb meaning every Sunday or on Sundays, as in I work Sundays or The shop is closed Sundays. 

To indicate the general time of day during which something will happen on a Sunday, the word can be followed by the general time, as in Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, and Sunday night. 

Example: Sundays are bittersweet—I like relaxing, but in the back of my mind I’m worrying about the coming workweek.

Where does Sunday come from?

The first records of the word Sunday come from before 900. It comes from the Middle English sun(nen)day, from the Old English sunnandæg. This is a translation of the Latin diēs sōlis, which itself is a translation of Greek hēméra hēlíou, “day of the Sun.”

Sunday is named after the sun thanks to the ancient Babylonians. The Babylonian civilization is the first one known to use a seven-day week. They named each of the seven days after planets and other celestial bodies. The two most visible ones got top billing, with the day we call Sunday being named after the sun and the day after—what we call Monday—being named after the moon. When the Romans adopted this model of naming the days for celestial bodies, they used their term for the sun, sōlis.

In Christianity, Sunday is a day of rest and worship—the Christian Sabbath day. Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday and the day is sometimes called Easter Sunday.

The expression a month of Sundays is an exaggerated way of saying a very long time.

If you’re curious to know more about the history behind the word Sunday, just read our article on the name’s fascinating origins.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to Sunday?

• Sundays (plural noun, adverb)

What are some words that share a root or word element with Sunday? 

• a month of Sundays
• Sunday scaries
• Sun
• day

What are some words that often get used in discussing Sunday?

• weekend
• morning
• afternoon
• night
• Saturday
• Monday
• rest
• start
• week

How is Sunday used in real life?

Sunday is often considered a day of rest, and, for some, recreation. Some people treat it as another weekend day just like Saturday, while others start winding down in preparation for the workweek. Still others do a mix of both.

Sundays… easily becoming my fave day of the week! A day of rest….a day to refresh , to reorganize or to do absolutely nothing! All of which is okay! Just doing me…. Happy Sunday peeps! ✌🏽🥰 pic.twitter.com/R9TrjEFK9Y

— Desiree Scott (@MsDScott11) January 17, 2021

When you work for yourself and from home, normalize setting days off for yourself (for me, that’s Sundays.) I spend Sundays playing video games & drawing my own characters 🌿)

— Alison Turjancik🎙🌸 (@turjancikvoice) January 17, 2021

Watching Space Jam is a good way to spend a Sunday !!

— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) January 11, 2015

 

Try using Sunday!

Which celestial body is Sunday named for?

1. the moon
2. the sun
3. Mars
4. Mercury