The Second Day, The Day of the Moon

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Diadache 8

“Do not have fasting days with the hypocrites. For they fast on the second day from the Sabbath and the fifth. You should fast on the fourth and sixth.”

Αἱ δὲ νηστεῖαι ὑμῶν μὴ ἔστωσαν μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν. νηστεύουσι γὰρ δευτέρᾳ σαββάτων καὶ πέμπτῃ· ὑμεῖς δὲ νηστεύσατε τετράδα καὶ παρασκευήν.

 

From the Oxford English Dictionary. s.v. “Monday”

Monday, n. and adv.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian mōnandei , Middle Dutch mānendach , maendach (Dutch maandag ), Middle Low German mānendach , māndach , mānedach , maendach , Old High German mānetac (Middle High German mēntag , māntac , mōntag , German Montag ), Old Icelandic mánadagr , Old Swedish manadagher (Swedish måndag ), Danish mandag < the Germanic base of moon n.1 + the Germanic base of day n., after post-classical Latin Lunae dies (3rd cent.; also Lunis dies). Compare Hellenistic Greek ἡμέρα σελήνης (probably after Latin).

The Latin days of the week in imperial Rome were named after the planets, which in turn were named after gods (see discussion at week n.). In most cases the Germanic names show replacement of the Roman god’s name with that of an equivalent god from the Germanic pantheon. In the case of Monday (as also of Sunday ), the name of the planet (as the moon was considered in the classical period) and the god were the same.

Compare ( < post-classical Latin Lunis dies ) Old French lunsdis (1119; c1160 as lundi ; French lundi ), Old Occitan diluns , dialus (15th cent.), Catalan dilluns (14th cent.), Spanish lunes (13th cent.), Italian lunedì (1282)

 1. The day following Sunday and preceding Tuesday, traditionally regarded as the second day of the week, but now frequently considered the first (following the weekend).

 

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Published by sententiaeantiquae

Original translations of famous words from Ancient Greece and Rome

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