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Glite Dictionary
Lady Day

Lady Day

1 8.4
A Christian festival on March 25 that celebrates an angel telling Mary she will have a baby
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : Día de la Anunciación
  • The festival of Lady Day is celebrated on March 25 to honor the announcement made by the angel Gabriel to Mary.

Examples

  • Many churches celebrate Lady Day with special services.

  • Many schools in England used to begin their new year on Lady Day.

  • Church services are held on Lady Day to mark the Annunciation.

  • The tradition of paying rent on Lady Day has gradually faded over time.

  • Don't forget Lady Day!

  • In the Christian calendar, Lady Day marks the beginning of spring and is a significant religious observance.

  • Many people prepare special services and activities for Lady Day to commemorate the Annunciation.

Synonyms

Annunciation Day
vsLady Day
  • UK
8.6

A Christian festival that remembers when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, held on March 25

also functions historically as a traditional quarter day in Britain
Annunciation
vsLady Day
  • Formal
9.9

A Christian festival on March 25 that marks the angel Gabriel's message to Mary that she would become Jesus' mother

adds the historical role as a quarter day in England Wales and Ireland
March 25
vsLady Day
  • UK
5.1

A Christian festival celebrating the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary and a traditional rent day in England

is the religious observance itself rather than merely the date or civil marker

Surface Forms

Lady Day singular
Lady Days plural

Morphology

Lady + day

This is a culturally and historically specific proper-name for the Feast of the Annunciation / a traditional quarter day; knowing 'lady' (a woman) and 'day' (a calendar day) will not let a B1 learner infer the festival date or religious/administrative sense. The meaning is tied to tradition and naming conventions rather than straightforward compositional semantics, making it unpredictable from the parts.

Etymology

Lady Day comes from Lady meaning the 'Virgin Mary' and from Day because it marks March 25, the festival called the 'Annunciation' when an angel told Mary she would have Jesus. Because this was an important church date, it became a traditional 'quarter day' for starting the year and paying rent, so Lady Day today means both the festival and the old payment day.