Monday
Monday
Pronunciation
Monday
IPA Phonetic Spelling:
/ˈmʌndeɪ/ or /ˈmʌndi/
Syllable Breakdown:
Mon-: /mʌn/
/m/ - voiced bilabial nasal consonant
/ʌ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel (as in "cup")
/n/ - voiced alveolar nasal consonant
-day: /deɪ/ or /di/
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive consonant
/eɪ/ - diphthong (as in "say") or /i/ - close front unrounded vowel (as in "happy")
Word Form Variations
"Monday" is primarily a noun and has limited variations.
Singular: Monday
Plural: Mondays (referring to multiple occurrences of the day)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: The second day of the week, following Sunday and preceding Tuesday, traditionally considered the start of the standard five-day workweek.
Synonyms: n/a (it's a proper noun for a specific day)
Antonyms: n/a
Definition 2: (Often plural, "Mondays") A recurring instance of the second day of the week, often associated with the beginning of responsibilities or a return to routine after a weekend.
Example: "I dread Mondays."
Synonyms: n/a
Antonyms: n/a
Examples of Use
Books:
"The first Monday in October, the Supreme Court begins its new term." (Jeffrey Toobin, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court)
"Every Monday, she would buy a new bouquet of flowers for the kitchen table." (Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing)
Newspapers:
"Wall Street stocks rallied on Monday, buoyed by optimism over corporate earnings reports." (The New York Times)
"Local schools will be closed on Monday due to anticipated inclement weather." (Chicago Tribune)
Online Publications:
"Why do so many people suffer from 'Monday blues'?" (BBC Worklife)
"Amazon Prime Day is expected to kick off on a Monday this year." (TechCrunch)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Show Title: Monday Night Football (ESPN, ongoing)
Song Title: "Blue Monday" (New Order)
Film Title: Ruby Sparks (features a character whose life is dramatically altered on a Monday)
Podcast Episode Title: "The Monday After: Dissecting the Weekend's Biggest Games" (The Ringer NBA Show, regularly published)
General Public Discourse:
"I can't believe it's already Monday again!" (Common lament among workers)
"Let's schedule our meeting for next Monday at 10 AM." (Standard business communication)
"This Monday feels like a Friday." (Expression of relief or an unusually good start to the week)
"The store has a special sale every Monday." (Retail promotion)
10 Quotes Using Monday
"I hate Mondays." (Garfield, created by Jim Davis)
"There are many people who can't start their day without a cup of coffee, but I can't start my week without a good Monday." (Unknown)
"Monday is a fresh start. It's never too late to dig in and begin a new journey of success." (Unknown)
"Mondays are the start of the work week which offer new beginnings 52 times a year!" (David Dweck)
"When you start to do the things that you truly love, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s Monday or Friday; you just can’t wait to wake up every morning to do what you love." (Unknown)
"This is your Monday morning reminder that you can handle whatever this week throws at you." (Unknown)
"I've always loved the first day of a week that is Monday." (Unknown)
"Monday: The only day where it's acceptable to have a little bit of weekend left in you, but not too much that you can't function." (Unknown)
"Monday, Monday, can't trust that day." (The Mamas & the Papas, "Monday, Monday," 1966)
"If each day is a gift, I'd like to know where to return Monday." (Unknown)
Etymology
The word "Monday" comes from Old English, and its meaning is pretty straightforward: it literally means "moon's day."
Think of it like this:
The "Mon-" part comes from mōna, which is the Old English word for "moon."
The "-day" part comes from dæg, the Old English word for "day."
So, Monday is essentially the "day of the Moon." This naming convention for days of the week is common in many Germanic languages (like English, German, and Dutch) and reflects the ancient practice of naming days after celestial bodies or gods associated with them. The Romans also did this, for instance, dies lunae (day of the moon) was their term for Monday.
The earliest known use of "Monday" in English dates back to the Old English period, specifically around the 9th or 10th century. At that time, it already had the meaning we know today: the second day of the week, following Sunday.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Monday
Monday morning quarterback: Someone who criticizes or second-guesses events after they have happened, like a football fan on Monday dissecting a game from the weekend.
Monday blues: A feeling of sadness, lethargy, or apprehension experienced by some people at the beginning of the work week.
Blue Monday: Another term for "Monday blues," emphasizing the depressive feeling.
Same old Monday: Refers to the feeling that each Monday is indistinguishable from the last, often implying a monotonous routine.
A case of the Mondays: An informal way of saying one is experiencing the "Monday blues" or a general feeling of dread about the start of the week.
Black Monday: A term used for a specific Monday when a catastrophic event, particularly a financial market crash, occurred. (e.g., Black Monday 1987).
Cyber Monday: The Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States, noted as a major online shopping day.
Manic Monday: A phrase suggesting a particularly hectic or stressful Monday. (Popularized by the Bangles song).
Next Monday: A simple phrase indicating the Monday that follows the current week.
Give me a Monday any day: An unusual phrase indicating a preference for the structure or routine of Monday over other days.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of Monday from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
