Donderdag

Donderdag is the Dutch name for the fourth day of the week in Dutch-speaking regions. It lies between woensdag (Wednesday) and vrijdag (Friday), and in most calendars it is the penultimate weekday before the weekend. In everyday use, donderdag refers to the day on which many people have work, school, or other obligations.

The name is etymologically derived from the word for thunder and the day of a thunder deity. In Dutch, donder means thunder and dag means day, so donderdag literally means “day of thunder.” This reflects a broader Germanic tradition of naming days after gods associated with celestial phenomena. The Dutch form parallels the German Donnerstag and the English Thursday, both ultimately rooted in the god Thor (Donar in some traditions).

In modern usage, donderdag is written in lowercase unless it begins a sentence. It appears in scheduling, calendars, and everyday speech to designate events on that day, for example, “De vergadering is op donderdag.” While the day does not have a special status beyond its place in the weekly cycle, it can carry cultural associations tied to recurring markets, markets, or events historically held on Thursdays.