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Definition of Ash Wednesday noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Ash Wednesday

noun
 
/ˌæʃ ˈwenzdeɪ/,
 
/ˌæʃ ˈwenzdi/
 
/ˌæʃ ˈwenzdeɪ/,
 
/ˌæʃ ˈwenzdi/
[uncountable, countable]
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  1. the first day of Lent see also Shrove Tuesday
    CultureIt is traditional for Roman Catholics to go to church on Ash Wednesday and their foreheads are marked with ashes as a sign that human bodies become dust. In the US this tradition is still widely followed. The ashes are not washed off but left to go away on their own. It is polite not to make a comment on the mark on a person's forehead.
    Topics Religion and festivalsc2
    Word Originfrom the custom of marking the foreheads of penitents with ashes on that day.
See Ash Wednesday in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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