Etymology

From Middle English, from Old English þursdæġ, þurresdæġ ‎(“Thursday”), possibly from a contraction of Old English þunresdæġ ‎(“Thursday”, literally “Thor's day”), but more likely of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse þōrsdagr or Old Danish þūrsdag ‎(“Thursday”); all from Proto-Germanic *Þunras dagaz ‎(“Thor's day”). Compare West Frisian tongersdei, Low German Dunnersdag, Dutch donderdag, German Donnerstag, Danish torsdag. More at thunder, day.

A calque of Latin dies Iovis (dies Jovis), via an association (interpretātiō germānica) of the god Thor with the Roman god of thunder Jove (Jupiter).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈθɜːzdeɪ/ or IPA^(key): /ˈθɜːzdi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈθɝzdeɪ/ or IPA^(key): /ˈθɝzdi/

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)zdeɪ, Rhymes: -ɜː(r)zdi