paschal

Etymology

It is borrowed from Anglo-Norman pascal, also paschal, and Middle French pascal (“of Easter”),^[2][3][4] and directly borrowed from Late Latin paschālis,^[2][5][6][7] formed from pascha (“Passover, Easter”) and -ālis.^[2][3] The Latin noun is from Ancient Greek πάσχα (páskha, “Passover”),^[5][6][4][8] from Aramaic פַּסְחָא (pasḥā),^[5][6][4][1] which corresponds to Biblical Hebrew פֶּסַח (pésaḥ, “Passover”),^[5][6][4][1] from a Hebrew verb meaning "to pass over" (see Passover).^[5][6] The Middle English form paschalle was probably also influenced by the earlier Pasche (“Easter”), recorded in 1122 and taken from pasche and Latin.^[5][6] Weekley notes that in most European languages the word was applied to various church festivals and leaned on Latin pāscō (“to feed”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Probably before 1425, as paschalle, in a translation of Higden's Polychronicon;^[5] the OED's first record is the noun, a paschal candle, in the records of a London church in 1426–7.^[2] Etymonline dates the adjective to the early 15th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Anglo-Norman already used the adjective of Easter in the first quarter of the 12th century and of the Passover in the 13th,^[2] and post-classical Latin paschalis had both senses from the 4th century.^[2] In English the Christian use came first: the paschal candle lit at Easter (1426) and things used in the Easter celebrations (1442).^[2] The Jewish sense, "of or relating to the Passover", is recorded from 1597, in Hooker, and is now found chiefly in paschal lamb;^[2] from before 1535 to 1799 the noun could also mean the Passover celebration, supper or lamb.^[2] Johnson (1755) gave both senses, "relating to the passover" first and "relating to Easter" second.^[9] Barnhart notes that the spelling with ch became the established one in the 1600s, after the forms paschalle and pascal (1442).^[5]

Timeline

• before 1425 – paschalle, in a translation of Higden's Polychronicon.^[5]
• 1426 – noun, a paschal candle, or a candlestick for it.^[2]
• 1442 – of or relating to Easter, in the form pascal.^[2][5]
• before 1535 – noun, the Passover celebration, supper or lamb (obsolete by 1799).^[2]
• 1597 – of or relating to the Passover.^[2]
• 1600s – the spelling with ch becomes established.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to Easter: the paschal liturgy.^[10][3][2]
2. Of or relating to the Passover, now chiefly in paschal lamb.^[10][3][2]

Noun

1. A paschal candle, or the candlestick that holds it.^[3][2]
2. (obsolete, 1535–1799) The Passover celebration or supper; also the paschal lamb.^[2][3]

Word family

• paschal candle
• paschal lamb

Related words

• Passover
• Easter

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
8. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins