"Wednesday" in seven languages
MeaningWednesday
Spanish
miércoles
/ˈmjeɾkoles/
masc.inherited
French
mercredi
/mɛʁkʁədi/
masc.inherited
Old French mercresdi, from the variant MERCURIS DIEM; the s later fell silent and out of the spelling.
Italian
mercoledì
/merkoleˈdi/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
quarta-feira
/ˈkwahtɐ ˈfejɾɐ/
fem.other source · Church Latin FERIA QUARTA 'fourth feast day'
Romanian
miercuri
/ˈmjerkurʲ/
fem.inherited
Catalan
dimecres
/diˈmɛkɾəs/
masc.inherited
English
Wednesday
/ˈwɛnzdeɪ/
native English · Old English Wōdnesdæg, Woden's day, a calque of Latin MERCURIĪ DIĒS
English → ItalianWednesdaymercoledìNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: mercurial, mercury.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MERCURIĪ DIEM‘the day of Mercury’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Mercury's day, matched in English with Woden (Wednesday). Spanish and Italian turned Mercury's r into an l; French juggled the liquids differently.
English relatives: mercurial, mercury
Learn it
In a sentence
- esJugamos al fútbol el miércoles.
- frOn joue au foot mercredi.
- itGiochiamo a calcio mercoledì.
- ptA gente joga futebol na quarta.
- roMiercuri jucăm fotbal.
- caDimecres juguem a futbol.
- enWe play football on Wednesday.