All Souls' Day
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
November 2nd, so called because Catholics on that day seek by prayer and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings of souls in purgatory. It was instituted in the monastery of Cluny in 993.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “All Souls' Day” mean?
November 2nd, so called because Catholics on that day seek by prayer and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings of souls in purgatory. It was instituted in the monastery of Cluny in 993.
Is “All Souls' Day” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.