Maundy Thursday
Preserved but no longer current.
The day before Good Friday is so called from the first words of the antiphpn for that day being Mandatum novum do vobis, a new commandment I give unto you (St. John xiii, 34), with which the ceremony of the washing of the feet begins. This is still carried out in R.C. cathedral churches and monasteries.
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 “Maundy Thursday” mean?
The day before Good Friday is so called from the first words of the antiphpn for that day being Mandatum novum do vobis, a new commandment I give unto you (St. John xiii, 34), with which the ceremony of the washing of the feet begins. This is still carried out in R.C. cathedral churches and monasteries.
Is “Maundy Thursday” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.