What does "Maundy" mean?

Answer 1

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week (the Thursday before Easter). It was the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, sharing a meal with them which we call the Last Supper.

In those days it was usual for a servant to wash the guests feet on arrival. On this occasion there was no servant present and none of the disciples volunteered to do the menial task. Instead, Jesus got up and washed His disciples feet, giving them an object lesson in humility and service.

In some churches priests carry out a ceremonial washing of the feet of members of the congregation on Maundy Thursday as a commemoration of Christ's act.

In Britain it is still customary for the sovereign to give 'Maundy Money' to a number of male and female pensioners - one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age. The money is contained in two purses: one red and one white. The white purse contains specially minted coins - one for each year of the sovereign's life. The Queen this Easter will be a few days short of her 81st birthday. The red purse now also contains money, in lieu of gifts which used to be offered to the poor. Up to the time of James II the sovereign also washed the feet of selected poor men.

The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin for 'command' (mandatum). It refers to the command given by Jesus at the Last Supper, that his disciples should love one another.

Answer 2

In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday - also called Holy Thursday and, in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Great Thursday[1] - is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is followed by Good Friday.

On this day four events are commemorated: the washing of the Disciple's feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas.

For the year of 2007 Maundy Thursday is on the 5th April.

"Maundy Thursday" is the traditional name for this day in England. It is therefore the usual name also in English-speaking Protestant Churches that originated in that country and even in some that originated in Scotland, where, though the Scottish Book of Common Prayer uses the name "Holy Thursday", English influence has also made the term "Maundy Thursday" familiar. Other English-speaking Protestant Churches, such as the Lutheran, use both "Maundy Thursday" and "Holy Thursday".[2] Among Roman Catholics, except in England, the usual English name for the day is "Holy Thursday", in line with the name used in languages such as French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.[3]

The word Maundy, used only in this context, is generally held to be derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" (A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. The phrase is used as the antiphon sung during the "Mandatum" ceremony of the washing of the feet, which may be held during Mass or at another time as a separate event, during which a priest or bishop (representing Christ) ceremonially washes the feet of others, typically 12 persons chosen as a cross-section of the community.

Others [4] argue that the term is derived from the word maund, from Old French mendier, which in turn comes from Latin mendicare (to beg). The name "Maundy Thursday" would thus have arisen in England because of the custom whereby each year on this day the sovereign gives alms to selected poor people in a container also called a "maund" or "maundy purse".

Answer 3

It comes from Latin and French and it means 'commandment'.