Maundy
/ˈmɔːndi
/noun [mass noun]
1(In the UK) a public ceremony on the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday) at which the monarch distributes specially minted coins.Whereas Henry VIII spent an average of £63 on the annual Maundy ceremony, Mary's honour required an outlay of £160....
- The practice of Maundy gifts dates back to 1210 when King John distributed food and clothing to the poor in the Yorkshire town of Knaresborough (my home town).
- The first known record of Royal Maundy took place here, when King John fed and clothed 13 paupers in 1210.
1.1 (also Royal Maundy) Maundy money: [as modifier]: a George I Maundy fourpence...
- Plus, back home she has handed out the Royal Maundy in so many of the cathedrals in England and Wales that one wonders which ones she's missed?
- Each white purse contained 79p in Maundy coins, reflecting the Queen's age on her next birthday.
- Two years later the Queen was in North Yorkshire again, distributing the Maundy Money at Ripon Cathedral.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French mande, from Latin mandatum 'mandate, commandment', from mandatum novum 'new commandment' (see John 13:34).