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Meaning of "red-letter day" in the English dictionary

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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD RED-LETTER DAY

From the red letters used in ecclesiastical calendars to indicate saints' days and feasts.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF RED-LETTER DAY

red-letter day play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RED-LETTER DAY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Red-Letter day is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES RED-LETTER DAY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Red letter day

A red letter day is any day of special significance. The practice did not originate from Medieval church calendars or a requirement that important holy days be marked in red from First Council of Nicaea in 325CE, as has widely been claimed. Instead, its roots are in classical antiquity; for instance, important days indicated in red in a calendar dating from the Roman Republic. In medieval manuscripts, initial capitals and highlighted words were written in red ink. The practice was continued after the invention of the printing press, including in Catholic liturgical books. Many calendars still indicate special dates and holidays in red instead of black. On red letter days, judges of the English High Court wear, at sittings of the Court of Law, their scarlet robes. Also in the United Kingdom, other civil dates have been added to the original religious dates. These include anniversaries of the Monarch's birthday, official birthday, accession and coronation. In the universities of the UK, scarlet days are when doctors may wear their scarlet 'festal' or full dress gowns instead of their undress gown.

Definition of red-letter day in the English dictionary

The definition of red-letter day in the dictionary is a memorably important or happy occasion.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE RED-LETTER DAY

red-eye
red-eyed
red-faced
red-facedly
red-haired
red-handed
red-handedly
red-handedness
red-headed
red-hot
red-hot poker
red-lead ore
red-legged partridge
red-light district
red-necked grebe
red-osier dogwood
red-pencil
red-pencilled
red-pencilling
red-top

WORDS THAT END LIKE RED-LETTER DAY

at the end of the day
bad hair day
calendar day
day after day
day by day
from day to day
good day
mean solar day
officer of the day
on day
order of the day
per day
quarter day
rainy day
solar day
that will be the day
the other day
Valentine´s day
wedding day
working day

Synonyms and antonyms of red-letter day in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «red-letter day» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF RED-LETTER DAY

Find out the translation of red-letter day to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of red-letter day from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «red-letter day» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

大喜的日子
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

día memorable
570 millions of speakers

English

red-letter day
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

लाल अक्षर दिन
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

يوم مشهود
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

красный день
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

red-letter dia
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

দুঃখের দিন
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

jour rouge - lettre
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Hari surat merah
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Festtag
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

めでたい日
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

빨간색 글자 일
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Dina-dina abang
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ngày màu đỏ chữ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சிவப்பு கடிதம் நாள்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

लाल-पत्र दिवस
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Kırmızı mektup günü
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

giorno memorabile
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

red- letter day
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

червоний день
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

zi roșu litere
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κόκκινο - επιστολή ημέρα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

rooi -letter dag
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

röda bokstäver dag
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

merkedag
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of red-letter day

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «RED-LETTER DAY»

The term «red-letter day» is quite widely used and occupies the 50.009 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
77
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «red-letter day» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of red-letter day
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «red-letter day».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «RED-LETTER DAY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «red-letter day» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «red-letter day» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about red-letter day

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RED-LETTER DAY»

Discover the use of red-letter day in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to red-letter day and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Red Letter Day
Recently married to Dermot and tipped as Ireland's hottest new designer, Celine Moore is relaxed, happy and looking forward to an exciting future.
Colette Caddle, 2004
2
Red letter day
After visiting the local post office, Mr. Summers's third-grade class gains a greater respect for mail carriers and the work they perform.
Patricia Lakin, Doug Cushman, 1995
3
Louis: Red Letter Day
Louis - Red Letter Day HC
Metaphrog, 2000
4
Red Letter Day Plays
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.
Getchell Parsons, 2010
5
A Red-Letter Day: And Other Poems
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
Lucius Harwood Foote, 2011
6
Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Cf. Oxford 113; Whiting D56. D38 Not to know if it is Day or night 1757 RDemere in McDowell Documents 2.320: By the Pains I have taken ... I scarce know when it is Day or Night. Whiting D64. D39 A red-letter Day 1740 Belcher Papers 2.304: ...
Bartlett Jere Whiting, 1977
7
Red Letter Day
Louis hungers for adventure and this tale follows his attempts to live his dreams. Designed to frighten and amuse children of all ages, and characterised by a quirky humour, this scary-cute story will make readers laugh and cry.
Metaphrog, 2011
8
The Scarlet Letter
Enriched Classics enhance your engagement by introducing and explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and what impact this book had on subsequent scholarship.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, 2004
9
Red, White, and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar
Might an environmental champion or martyr merit a red- letter day, or might a renewed Earth Day become a more prominent and regular feature of the United States political calendar? If "the past is a foreign country," what does that make the ...
Matthew Dennis, 2005
10
Worship!: Making Primary School Collective Worship Come Alive
Often, the children taking part will have been studying this particular Red Letter Day, and the historical or mythical events that lie behind it, as part of their religious education. This makes it much easier to introduce in worship: 'Year Four have ...
John Bailey, 1999

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RED-LETTER DAY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term red-letter day is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Royal Mail is improving – but it's no red-letter day
Royal Mail shares have enjoyed something of a second coming of late, which is good news for those of us who held on to them post-privatisation. But beyond ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
2
Cincinnati celebrates a Red-letter day
Cincinnati. Pete Rose came home for the All-Star Game and made a rare on-field appearance in the place where he's still treated like a king. The hits king was ... «Albany Times Union, Jul 15»
3
Pluto, 'Watchman' make for red-letter day
It's a red-letter day! We have discovered that Pluto is a red dog that sports a massive heart shape on its body. Harper Lee's long-awaited and ... «DesMoinesRegister.com, Jul 15»
4
The All Blacks Are Coming, and It's a Red-Letter Day in Samoa
And the All Blacks' first-ever match in Samoa on Wednesday is so big that it has been declared a half-day public holiday. It has long been a sore point that the ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
5
Occomy enjoys red-letter day as Firecracker champion player, coach
“It was a pretty special day,” Schoberl said. “We all had a great time. It's all about the team and the team really picked it up when we needed to. Coming out and ... «Stars and Stripes, Jul 15»
6
US spelling bee final a red-letter day for its winners
From 11 million participants to 283 who made the three-day finals, Vanya and Gokul emerged winners. It's the fifth time since the bee began in 1925, launched to ... «Irish Times, May 15»
7
'Red-letter day' for Volvo as it goes to the theatre
Adrian Yeates, managing director of Volvo Cars Ireland, says the event, hosted by Today FM presenter Anton Savage, was a “red-letter day” for the Swedish ... «Irish Times, May 15»
8
College football: A recap of recruiting's red-letter day
Here's a look at some of the notable events on a day that revealed the drama doesn't necessarily end after a recruit makes a nationally televised announcement. «Columbus Dispatch, Feb 15»
9
For Japan's Communists, It's a Red-Letter Day
Japan's opposition had trouble making gains in elections that brought victory to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc. The exception was the Japanese ... «Wall Street Journal, Dec 14»
10
Red wine destroys Tony Abbott's red-letter day
It was supposed to be his big day. For Prime Minister Tony Abbott, it doesn't get much closer to Christmas than this: an infrastructure announcement joyfully ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Apr 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Red-Letter day [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/red-letter-day>. Apr 2024 ».
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