kermis
Americannoun
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(in the Low Countries) a local, annual outdoor fair or festival.
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a similar entertainment, usually for charitable purposes.
noun
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(formerly, esp in Holland and Northern Germany) an annual country festival or carnival
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a similar event, esp one held to collect money for charity
Etymology
Origin of kermis
1570–80; < Dutch, earlier ker ( c ) misse ( kerc church + misse Mass ); originally a fair at the dedication of a church
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He liked the roaring dynamism of the El, and in Election Night, 1907, he combined it with a flushed, disorderly crowd in a sort of modern kermis.
From Time Magazine Archive
As soon as I finish making the mannikins for the knitting bags at the kermis.
From The Gorgeous Girl by Nalbro Bartley
They see each other at the kermis, or in the street, or fields.
From A Wanderer in Holland by Herbert Marshall, R.W.S.
There had been a kermis at this farm; and kinsfolk had come to eat waffles, ham and custards with their family.
From The Wrack of the Storm by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
The whole transaction is but an affair of battered kermis, intrinsically not worth a moment's consideration; but it serves its purpose of affording an interesting insight into the character of my escort.
From Around the World on a Bicycle - Volume II From Teheran To Yokohama by Thomas Stevens
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