quintafeira

Quintafeira is a nonstandard or historical variant spelling sometimes encountered in reference to the fifth day of the week in Portuguese. In contemporary usage, the day is almost always written quinta-feira.

Etymology and meaning: The term originates from the Latin quinta feria, literally the fifth day of the week. In Portuguese, the compound forms segunda-feira, terça-feira, quarta-feira, quinta-feira, and sexta-feira designate the days from Monday through Friday, with "feira" historically linked to the idea of a market day or weekday. Over time, quinta-feira became the conventional name for Thursday.

Usage and context: Quintafeira appears primarily in older texts, typographical variants, or informal writing. It is generally considered nonstandard in modern orthography. When referring to the day in formal writing, especially in dictionaries, encyclopedias, and modern texts, quinta-feira is preferred and standard across Portuguese-speaking regions.

Cultural and liturgical notes: In liturgical and cultural contexts, Thursday may appear in fixed phrases such as Quinta-feira Santa (Holy Thursday) in the Christian calendar. In those expressions, the standard orthography quinta-feira is used.

Orthography and standardization: The current normative spelling is quinta-feira, with a hyphen and lowercase initial in typical sentences. Concatenated forms like quintafeira are not recommended in formal writing and are largely confined to historical materials or informal variants.