feria
1 Americannoun
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feriae,
plural
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ferias
plural
noun
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ferias
plural
noun
Usage
What does feria mean? Feria is a word used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to a weekday on which no feast is celebrated. In this context, a feria is any weekday (Monday through Friday) that doesn’t celebrate a holy mystery, event, or person (such as a saint). Days that celebrate one of these are called feast days. The plural of feria is feriae or ferias. The adjective form of this meaning of feria is ferial, as in Monday is a ferial day. The religious sense of feria is not commonly used today, even among most Catholics. You’re much more likely to hear the word feria in Spanish, in which it refers to a local fair or festival, especially one to celebrate a local saint. Example: Friday was a feria because there was no religious feast celebrated.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of feria
First recorded 1760–65; from Late Latin: “day of the week” (e.g. secunda fēria “second day, Monday”); in Latin only plural fēriae “holidays”; see fair 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Swinging into the spirit of the feria, Jackie donned the traditional comb and mantilla to accompany Garrigues to her second bullfight.
From Time Magazine Archive
The most commonly accepted derivation of the word “fair” is from the Latin feria, a name which the church borrowed from Roman custom and applied to her own festivals.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various
Some of the Gitana girls are remarkably handsome, and the gay colours of their clothing lend animation to this part of the feria.
From The Story of Seville by C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine) Hartley
The word "fair" is derived from the Latin word feria, which means a festival, the parish feast day.
From Vanishing England by P. H. (Peter Hampson) Ditchfield
But maybe next spring you'll come back for the feria with your bride, Don Ramón; and as for you, Señor Waring—” “As for me?” repeated Dick, anxiously.
From The Car of Destiny by Armand Both
Among the feriae conceptivae were the very ancient feriae Latinae, held in honour of Jupiter on the Alban Mount, and attended by all the higher magistrates and the whole body of the senate.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various
Of a similar nature—marking, as Ovid tells us, the completion of the sowing—was the feriae sementivae or Paganalia, associated with the earth-goddesses, Ceres and Tellus.
From The Religion of Ancient Rome by Cyril Bailey
Why did the Church adopt the word feriae?
From The Divine Office by Edward J. Quigley
They had their festi and profesti, their feriae stativae, and conceptivae, their fixed and moveable feasts; their esuriales, or fasting days, and their precidaneae, or vigils.
From Travels through France and Italy by T. (Tobias) Smollett
This delicious edict, unparalleled in Roman history, caused the grave Livy to declare that the people must have grown tired, not only of the earthquakes, but of the feriae appointed to expiate them.
From The Religious Experience of the Roman People From the Earliest Times to the Age of Augustus by W. Warde Fowler
The rearrangement secured the recitation of the whole Psalter once a week, the length of the office on Sundays and ferias was reduced, while the complexities of the calendar were simplified.
From Pope Pius the Tenth by F. A. (Frances Alice) Forbes
The preces are said at Lauds and Vespers in ferias of Advent and at the small Hours; preces are said, too, if they be said at Lauds.
From The Divine Office by Edward J. Quigley
The collect of a ferial Office is found in Office of the previous Sunday, except in ferias of Lent and Rogation days which have special and proper collects.
From The Divine Office by Edward J. Quigley
Ferias are divided into three classes, major ferias, privileged ferias and non-privileged.
From The Divine Office by Edward J. Quigley
Its ferias are tremendously worldly; but they are none the less stupendous religious fêtes.
From Carmen Ariza by Charles Francis Stocking
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