Dictionary.com
definitions

festal

[fes-tl]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR festal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to or befitting a feast, festival, holiday, or gala occasion.

Origin of festal

1470–80; < Latin fēst(um) feast + -al1
Related formsfes·tal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for festal

cordial, amiable, festive, buoyant, jolly, pleasant, good-natured, chipper, sociable, cheery, affable, convivial, lighthearted, genial, hearty, cheerful, jovial, lively, clubby, joyous

Examples from the Web for festal

Historical Examples of festal

  • It might well be built, like a festal bower or arch, to entertain him a single day.

    Essays, First Series

    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • He was too inspired with festal intoxication to observe her agitation.

    The Strollers

    Frederic S. Isham

  • It looked deserted, in fact, festal and overlighted, but cheerful.

    The Arrow of Gold

    Joseph Conrad

  • Who ever heard of the festal oxen being tied to a cart's tail?

  • All festal occasions in Circassian life are enlivened by the presence of the minstrel.

    Life of Schamyl

    John Milton Mackie

British Dictionary definitions for festal

festal

adjective

another word for festive
Derived Formsfestally, adverb

Word Origin for festal

C15: from Latin festum holiday, banquet; see feast
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
Word Origin and History for festal
adj.

late 15c., from Middle French festal, from Late Latin festalis, from Latin festum "feast" (see feast (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper