holy day of obligation
noun
a day on which Roman Catholics are duty-bound to attend Mass and abstain from certain kinds of work.
a day on which Episcopalians are expected to take communion.
QUIZZES
Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?
Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!
Question 1 of 11
“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.
Origin of holy day of obligation
First recorded in 1930–35
Words nearby holy day of obligation
holy clover, holy communion, holy cow, holy cross, holy day, holy day of obligation, holy family, holy father, holy ghost, holy grail, holy grass
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for holy day of obligation
holy day of obligation
noun
a major feastday of the Roman Catholic Church on which Catholics are bound to attend Mass and refrain from servile work
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