Quadrigesima Sunday

9.9

A Sunday that starts Lent in the Christian church

noun
/ˌkwɒdrɪˈdʒɛsɪmə ˈsʌndeɪ/

Formal

: domingo de Cuadragésima

Many churches hold special services on Quadrigesima Sunday to mark the beginning of Lent.

Examples

The tradition of fasting often begins on Quadrigesima Sunday in some Christian denominations.
On Quadrigesima Sunday, the congregation reflected on the themes of repentance and renewal.
This year, Quadrigesima Sunday falls on March 5th.
Many churches celebrate Quadrigesima Sunday with special services.
Many churches hold special services on Quadrigesima Sunday to mark the beginning of Lent.
On Quadrigesima Sunday, the congregation reflected on the themes of repentance and renewal.
The tradition of fasting often begins on Quadrigesima Sunday in some Christian denominations.

Synonyms

Quadragesima

vsQuadrigesima Sunday

Archaic

9.9

The first Sunday of Lent in the Christian church calendar

is the general term used across Christian contexts rather than technical liturgy

Surface Forms

Quadrigesima Sunday singular

Quadrigesima Sundays plural

Morphology

Quadrigesima + Sunday

The element 'Quadrigesima' is ecclesiastical Latin and not a productive or transparent English word, so a B1 learner who only knows the English constituent 'Sunday' would not be able to derive 'the first Sunday in Lent' from the parts. The meaning depends on specific liturgical/cultural knowledge rather than standard compositional semantics, making the expression unpredictable and language-/register-specific.

Etymology

Quadrigesima Sunday comes from the old Latin word quadragesima, which means 'fortieth'. Because Lent is a time of about forty days before Easter, Quadrigesima Sunday marks the start of that period, so it means 'the first Sunday in Lent'.