jubilee

[ joo-buh-lee, joo-buh-lee ]

noun

1. the celebration of any of certain anniversaries, as the twenty-fifth silver jubilee, fiftieth golden jubilee, or sixtieth or seventy-fifth diamond jubilee.
2. the completion of 50 years of existence, activity, or the like, or its celebration:

   Our college will celebrate its jubilee next year.

3. any season or occasion of rejoicing or festivity.
4. rejoicing or jubilation.
5. Roman Catholic Church.
   1. an appointed year or other period, ordinarily every 25 years ordinary jubilee, in which a plenary indulgence is granted upon repentance and the performance of certain religious acts.
   2. a period of time extraordinary jubilee declared by the pope as a time of rejoicing, as for an anniversary, when a plenary indulgence is granted upon repentance and the performance of certain religious acts.
   3. Also called jubilee indulgence. the plenary indulgence granted during such a period.
6. Also Jubi·le. Chiefly Biblical. a yearlong period to be observed by Jews once every 50 years, during which Jewish slaves were to be freed, alienated lands were to be restored to the original owner or an heir, the fields were to be left untilled, and all agricultural labors were to be suspended. Leviticus 25. Compare sabbatical year ( def 2 ).
7. a Black American folk song concerned with future happiness or deliverance from tribulation.

adjective

1. flambé ( def 1 ):

   We had cherries jubilee for dessert.

jubilee

/ ˈdʒuːbɪˌliː; ˌdʒuːbɪˈliː /

noun

1. a time or season for rejoicing
2. a special anniversary, esp a 25th or 50th one
3. RC Church a specially appointed period, now ordinarily every 25th year, in which special indulgences are granted
4. Old Testament a year that was to be observed every 50th year, during which Hebrew slaves were to be liberated, alienated property was to be restored, etc
5. See jubilation
   a less common word for jubilation

Word History and Origins

Origin of jubilee¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English iubile, iubilee, from Middle French jubilé, from Late Latin jūbilaeus, from Greek iōbēlaîos (with ō and ē becoming u and i by assimilation to Latin jūbilāre “to shout for joy”), from Hebrew yōbhēl “ram, ram's horn, ram's horn used as a trumpet, trumpet, jubilee”

Word History and Origins

Origin of jubilee¹

C14: from Old French jubile, from Late Latin jubilaeus, from Late Greek iōbēlaios, from Hebrew yōbhēl ram's horn, used for the proclamation of the year of jubilee; influenced by Latin jūbilāre to shout for joy

Example Sentences

The Union Army declaration set off a wave of jubilee celebrations that from that day forward would be celebrated by the once enslaved as Juneteenth.

From Time

One of those players is named Wayne Gretzky — he had six such seasons for the Edmonton Oilers before his silver jubilee, good for top marks — and the other is named Connor McDavid, who also happens to be an Oiler.

From FiveThirtyEight

That’s why this weekend, the makeup leader is teaming up with Patty Delgado, founder and designer of Hija de Tu Madre and Julissa Prado, CEO and founder of Rizos Curls, for a virtual jubilee titled Jefacon.

From Essence.com

In her Silver Jubilee speech she said that while she understood independence aspirations, she wanted to see the UK remain united.

From The Daily Beast

In the song's music video, Jubilee featured boys and girls backing it up—just as he had described.

From The Daily Beast

DJ Jubilee dropped the work in his song 1993 classic “Do the Jubilee All.”

From The Daily Beast

Plus, when we were shooting, it was the time of the Olympics and then the Diamond Jubilee, so he was very busy.

From The Daily Beast

In her annual Christmas speech, the Queen spoke warmly about her own jubilee and the success of the London Olympics.

From The Daily Beast

Ive traded and sold everything from a thousand cattle to peddling collar-buttons at the Queens Jubilee.

From Project Gutenberg

The long looked-for jubilee morning had dawned, and we were to her God's messengers, bringing the glad tidings.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a day of jubilee to the colored people, who swarmed out from their cabins and appropriated the plunder.

From Project Gutenberg

There can be no question that 'James Hepburn' is the most notable Scottish story that will be issued in the jubilee year.

From Project Gutenberg

The Venezuela incident and the recent Jubilee ceremonies had fanned imperialist sentiment.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• anniversary
• bash
• birthday
• ceremony
• festival
• festivity
• gala
• observance
• party
• performance
• spree
• triumph

More About Jubilee

What is a jubilee?

A jubilee is a particular anniversary of a special occasion or the celebration of such an anniversary.

In particular, the word jubilee is often used to refer to celebrations that mark the anniversary of the coronation of a monarch. The word is often used in tandem with special terms that indicate the length of the reign.

Certain jubilees are referred to with specific names to indicate a particular anniversary. For example:

• silver jubilee: 25th anniversary
• golden jubilee: 50th anniversary
• diamond jubilee: 60th anniversary (or 75th anniversary)
• platinum jubilee: 70th anniversary

(These modifiers are often applied to the word anniversary as well, as in silver anniversary and platinum anniversary.)

In 2022, a platinum jubilee was planned for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in anticipation of the 70th anniversary of her coronation (making her the first British monarch in history to reign long enough to celebrate a platinum jubilee).

Example: Rulers from around the world attended the Queen’s jubilee.

The word jubilee is used in more specific ways in the contexts of Roman Catholicism and Judaism to refer to certain periodic religious occasions.

More generally, the word jubilee can refer to any joyous celebration or time of rejoicing.

This general sense is the basis for the more specific use of the word jubilee to refer to a Black American folk song concerned with future happiness or deliverance from tribulation.

Where does jubilee come from?

The first records of the word jubilee in English come from the 1300s. Jubilee ultimately comes from the Hebrew word yōbhēl, referring to a ram’s horn that was used as a trumpet. This instrument, called a shofar, was used to mark Jewish religious occasions, including the one observed every 50 years and known as the Year of Jubilee.

The spelling of jubilee was influenced by the Latin verb jūbilāre, meaning “to shout for joy.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for jubilee?

• anniversary
• commemoration
• celebration

What are some words that share a root or word element with jubilee?

• jubilee year
• jubilation
• jubilate
• jubilant

What are some words that often get used in discussing jubilee?

• silver
• golden
• diamond
• platinum
• coronation
• monarch
• reign

How is jubilee used in real life?

The word jubilee is used in the context of anniversaries and the celebrations of them, especially those that mark a monarch’s reign.

Britain is marking Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday, coming 70 years after she was proclaimed monarch. @sylviahui reports on key moments of change during Elizabeth's reign. https://t.co/PcczPJUWCy

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) February 3, 2022

Congratulations to the people of Slovenia on the silver jubilee of their Independence Day; in particular to its 1st PM, @lojzepeterle

— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) June 21, 2016

Queen Margrethe of Denmark's golden jubilee – this evening Her Majesty's sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren surprised her with a black-tie dinner at Christian VII’s Mansion at Amalienborg. Photos: Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset. pic.twitter.com/ZSIWbLx8yd

— Majesty/Joe Little (@MajestyMagazine) January 14, 2022

Try using jubilee!

Which anniversary is marked by a platinum jubilee?

A. 25th
B. 50th
C. 70th
D. 75th