Glastonbury

American  

[glas-tuhn-ber-ee, glas-tuhn-buh-ree] / ˈglæs tənˌbɛr i, ˈglæs tən bə ri /

noun

1. a town of southwest England, in whose vicinity the ruins of an important Iron Age lake village have been found and to which in folklore both King Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea have been linked, the latter as the founder of the abbey there.

2. Glastonbury Festival, a performing arts festival held annually in southwest England.

3. a town in central Connecticut whose western boundary is formed by the Connecticut River.

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Glastonbury British  

/ -brɪ, ˈɡlæstənbərɪ /

noun

1. a town in SW England, in Somerset: remains of prehistoric lake villages; the reputed burial place of King Arthur; site of a ruined Benedictine abbey, probably the oldest in England. Pop: 8429 (2001)

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Etymology

Origin of Glastonbury

Old English Glestingaburg, from Glestinga, a personal name or ethnonym of disputed origin + burg “fortified town” ( see borough ( def. ))

Example Sentences

Lipa, 30, is one of the world's biggest pop stars, headlining Glastonbury in 2024.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Lipa hard-launched her romance with Turner on Instagram in July 2024, sharing photos from Glastonbury.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

For “Mountain Top,” McCartney drew his inspiration from his recent headlining appearance at Glastonbury.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Last year, when she performed a career-defining set at Glastonbury Festival, in front of tens of thousands of people, it wrote that she would likely return as the headliner.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Even Boughton, though, whose fairy opera The Immortal Hour opened at Glastonbury twenty-two days after the British Empire declared war on Germany in August 1914, didn’t emulate Wagner’s musical style.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall