legal holiday

American  

noun

1. a public holiday established by law, during which certain work, government business, etc., is restricted.

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legal holiday British  

noun

1. Also called (Canadian): statutory holiday.  Brit equivalent: bank holiday.  any of several weekdays which are observed as national holidays

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Etymology

Origin of legal holiday

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

And only in 1879 was his birthday formally made into a legal holiday for federal employees in the District of Columbia.

From Seattle Times

City Council members voted unanimously in March 2022 to solidify Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Juneteenth as city holidays, expanding efforts to establish both as legal holidays for city employees and as parking holidays.

From Seattle Times

Washington could become the first state in the U.S. to make Lunar New Year a paid legal holiday.

From Seattle Times

Each state decides its own state government holidays, and there is no centralized tracking of Juneteenth state legal holidays.

From Seattle Times

In a separate ordinance, the council authorized a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Coalition of City Unions, making both Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day legal holidays for represented city employees.

From Seattle Times