feria

¹ American  

[feer-ee-uh] / ˈfɪər i ə /

noun

plural

feriae, ferias

1. Ecclesiastical. a weekday on which no feast is celebrated.

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feria ² American  

[fe-ryah, fer-ee-uh] / ˈfɛ ryɑ, ˈfɛr i ə /

noun

Spanish.

plural

ferias

1. a local festival or fair in Spain or Spanish America, usually held in honor of a patron saint.

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feria British  

/ ˈfɪərɪə /

noun

1. RC Church a weekday, other than Saturday, on which no feast occurs

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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

• ferial adjective

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”; fair ²

Example Sentences

“Toda la feria,” he kept repeating in stilted Spanish — all the money.

From Los Angeles Times

Even worse, Creeper complained, they had already sold some of the phones and “made a gang of feria” — a bunch of cash.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the Gitana girls are remarkably handsome, and the gay colours of their clothing lend animation to this part of the feria.

From Project Gutenberg

The man who had painted pinturas de la feria only three years ago could now choose his own commissions.

From Project Gutenberg

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 Project Gutenberg