Easter

American  

[ee-ster] / ˈi stər /

noun

1. 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.

2. Also called Easter Sunday.  the day on which this festival is celebrated.

3. the Easter season; the week following Easter.

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Easter British  

/ ˈiːstə /

noun

1. 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

2. Also called: Easter Sunday.   Easter Day.  the day on which this festival is celebrated

3. the period between Good Friday and Easter Monday

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Easter Cultural  

1. 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.

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Usage

What is Easter? Easter is the holiday on which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus following his crucifixion and death (observed on Good Friday). It is considered the most important Christian holiday.Easter is also widely observed in secular (nonreligious) ways and is often associated with rebirth and the start of springtime.Easter always occurs on a Sunday, and the day is sometimes called Easter Sunday.In religious contexts, Easter can also refer to the Easter season. Sometimes, this is considered to consist of Easter Sunday and the week after. Some branches of Christianity consider the Easter season to last for 50 days, until the day of Pentecost.

Other Word Forms

• post-Easter adjective
• pre-Easter noun

Etymology

Origin of Easter

First recorded before 900; Middle English ester, Old English ēastre; cognate with German Ostern; originally the name of a goddess and her festival; akin to east

Example Sentences

My family has traditionally hosted holiday gatherings and parties — like Christmas, Easter and Memorial Day — at our house.

From MarketWatch

Barton said they would be reused throughout the year for events such as Armistice Day, Christmas and Easter.

From BBC

Highland Council said road conditions in Easter Ross, Sutherland and Caithness were particularly challenging, with drifting and freezing conditions overnight, and it advised people to travel only if it was essential.

From BBC

"The boats are available until Easter basically, because it is our closed season, and hopefully by then something will have been sorted for them," said Ms Edwards.

From BBC

Those Easter eggs, including an extended callback to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” — the realization of which they credit to animator Louaye Moulayess, a “Shining” superfan — speak to a willingness to cater to audiences beyond kids.

From Los Angeles Times