Whit sun lady (hwitsunladi)

The leading female character in the merrymakings at Whit sun tide. Whitsun-lord (hwit's un-lord), n. The master of the revels at the old Whit sun tide festivities. A cooper's wit, or some such busy spark, Illuminating the high constable and his clerk And all the neighbourhood from old records Of antique proverbs, drawn from Whits unlords . B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, Prol. Whit sun tide (hwit's un-tid), n. [ wits on tyde , whys son tyde , whites une - tide , whit sun tide; Whitsun + tide .] The season of Pentecost, comprehending the entire week which follows Pentecost Sunday. In the Church of England Whit sunday was appointed in 1549 as the day on which the reformed Book of Common Prayer was to be used for the first time. Whit sun tide, along with Easter, was one of the two great seasons for baptism in the ancient church, and received the name of White Sun day ( Dominica Alba ) from the albs or white robes of the newly baptized, as Low Sunday was also called Alb - Sun day ( Dominica post Albas or in Albis deposit is ). See Pen tecost. The weke afore wits on tyde come the kynge to Cardoell, and when he was come he axed Merlin how he hadde spedde. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 60. The king then left London for the North a little before Whit sun tide , as the contemporary writer of Croyland tells J. Gairdner, Richard III., vi. us.