English Explanatory Dictionary

festival

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Pertaining to a feast or feast day; festive. (Now only as the noun used attributively.)
noun
  1. A feast or feast day.
  2. An event or series of special events centred on the celebration or promotion of some theme or aspect of the community, often held at regular intervals.
  3. In mythology, a set of celebrations in the honour of a god.
  4. Fried cornbread.

Pronunciation

/ˈfɛstɪvl̩/ /ˈfɛstəv(ə)l/ En-us-festival.ogg

Word forms

festival more festival most festival feastiuall festivals

Etymology

From Middle English festival (adjective), from Old French festival (“festive”), from Late Latin fēstīvālis, from Latin fēstīvus (“festive”). By surface analysis, festive + -al. Displaced native Old English frēols. The noun is shortened from festival day, from Middle English festival dai, festiuall day (“feast day, festival”).

Related words

festal festive festivity festivities heortology festilogy

Derived words

Bon Festival Car Festival Chung Yueng Festival Da Jiu Festival Double Fifth Festival Double Ninth Festival Double Seventh Festival Dragon Boat Festival Dumpling Festival festie festivalgoer festivalist festivalization festivalize festivally Festival of Light Festival of Lights Festival of the Rosary Festival of Weeks festival seating festivalwear festy Ghost Festival harvest festival Hungry Ghost Festival Kaul festival Laba Festival Lantern Festival macrofestival Magpie Festival megafestival Mid-Autumn Festival minifestival nonfestival prefestival pride festival pseudofestival Pure Brightness Festival Qingming Festival Renaissance festival rocket festival snow festival Spring Festival Sweet Festival teknival Tomb Sweeping Festival Tuen Ng Festival winter festival Winterval Zhongqiu Festival
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