feast
- any rich or abundant meal: The steak dinner was a feast.
- a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests: a wedding feast.
- something highly agreeable: The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.
- a periodical celebration or time of celebration, usually of a religious nature, commemorating an event, person, etc.: Every year, in September, the townspeople have a feast in honor of their patron saint.
- to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.
- to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.
- to provide or entertain with a feast.
- feast one's eyes, to gaze with great joy, admiration, or relish: to feast one's eyes on the Grand Canyon.
Origin of feast
Synonyms for feast
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for feast
festivity, picnic, repast, festival, fiesta, dinner, gala, barbecue, dine, entertain, blow, carousal, carnival, blowout, entertainment, refreshment, fete, spread, regale, treatExamples from the Web for feast
Contemporary Examples of feast
It was known as the feast of Akitu, and it was celebrated in April.
The mythic origin of the feast was the creation of the world by the god Marduk.
Given the somewhat macabre origins of the feast, many of the celebrations were designed to placate the gods.
Feast your eyes on the ‘top-grain leather,’ ‘original’ design, gilded pages.
Then feast your ears on this 1969 Bill Cosby routine about drugging and seducing women.
Historical Examples of feast
All is prepared—the table and the feast— With due appurtenance of clothes and cushions.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
But in good time the Lybian pipe warns us that the feast is ready.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
He is having a feast of Marennes and he asks me to join him.
Ballads of a BohemianRobert W. Service
The rest will to Dax when the prince starts, which will be before the feast of the Epiphany.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
If after I am free a friend of mine gave a feast, and did not invite me to it, I should not mind a bit.
De ProfundisOscar Wilde
feast
- a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people
- a periodic religious celebration
- something extremely pleasing or sumptuousa feast for the eyes
- movable feast a festival or other event of variable date
- (intr)
- to eat a feast
- (usually foll by on)to enjoy the eating (of), as if feastingto feast on cakes
- (tr) to give a feast to
- (intr foll by on) to take great delight (in)to feast on beautiful paintings
- (tr) to regale or delightto feast one's mind or one's eyes
Word Origin for feast
Word Origin and History for feast
c.1200, "religious anniversary characterized by rejoicing" (rather than fasting), from Old French feste (12c., Modern French fête) "religious festival; noise, racket," from Vulgar Latin *festa (fem. singular; also source of Italian festa, Spanish fiesta), from Latin festa "holidays, feasts," noun use of neuter plural of festus "festive, joyful, merry," related to feriae "holiday" and fanum "temple," from PIE *dhes- "root of words in religious concepts" [Watkins]. The spelling -ea- was used in Middle English to represent the sound we mis-call "long e." Meaning "abundant meal" (whether public or private) is from late 14c.
c.1300, "partake of a feast," from Old French fester, from feste (see feast (n.)). Related: Feasted; feasting.