Easter
[ ee-ster ]
/ ˈi stər /
noun
an annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, as calculated according to tables based in Western churches on the Gregorian calendar and in Orthodox churches on the Julian calendar.
Also called Easter Sunday. the day on which this festival is celebrated.
the Easter season; the week following Easter.
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Origin of Easter
before 900; Middle English ester,Old English ēastre; cognate with German Ostern; originally name of a goddess and her festival; akin to east
OTHER WORDS FROM Easter
post-Easter, adjectivepre-Easter, nounWords nearby Easter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for Easter
Easter
/ (ˈiːstə) /
noun
the most important festival of the Christian Church, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ: falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
Also called: Easter Sunday, Easter Day the day on which this festival is celebrated
the period between Good Friday and Easter Monday
Other words from Easter
Related adjective: paschalWord Origin for Easter
Old English ēastre, after a Germanic goddess Eostre; related to Old High German ōstarūn Easter, Old Norse austr to the east, Old Slavonic ustru like summer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Easter
Easter
An important religious festival among Christians (see also Christian); it commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus after his Crucifixion. Easter is celebrated on a Sunday in spring, and the season of Easter, a time of rejoicing, continues for several weeks. The penitential season of Lent is a time of preparation for Easter.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.