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definitions

holiday

[hol-i-dey]
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noun

adjective

of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous: a holiday mood.
suitable for a holiday: holiday attire.

verb (used without object)

Chiefly British. to vacation: to holiday at the seaside.

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RELATED WORDS

festivity, recess, festival, feast, anniversary, vacation, break, layoff, gala, celebration, leave, fete, fiesta, liberty, jubilee

Nearby words

  1. holey,
  2. holguín,
  3. holi,
  4. holiatry,
  5. holibut,
  6. holiday camp,
  7. holiday, billie,
  8. holiday-maker,
  9. holidayer,
  10. holidaymaker

Origin of holiday

before 950; Middle English; Old English hāligdæg. See holy, day
Related formspre·hol·i·day, adjective

Holiday

[hol-i-dey]

noun

BillieLady Day, 1915–59, U.S. jazz singer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for holiday

British Dictionary definitions for holiday

holiday

noun

(often plural) mainly British
  1. a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreationUS and Canadian word: vacation
  2. (as modifier)a holiday mood
a day on which work is suspended by law or custom, such as a religious festival, bank holiday, etcRelated adjective: ferial

verb

(intr) mainly British to spend a holiday

Word Origin for holiday

Old English hāligdæg, literally: holy day

Holiday

noun

Billie. real name Eleanora Fagan; known as Lady Day. 1915–59, US jazz singer
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 holiday

holiday

n.

1500s, earlier haliday (c.1200), from Old English haligdæg "holy day; Sabbath," from halig "holy" (see holy) + dæg "day" (see day); in 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of recreation," but pronunciation and sense diverged 16c. As a verb meaning "to pass the holidays" by 1869.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with holiday

holiday

see busman's holiday.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.