Samhain

or Sa·main, sa·mh'in

[sah-win]

noun

a festival of the ancient Celts, held around November 1 to celebrate the beginning of winter.

Origin of Samhain

1885–90; < Irish; Old Irish samain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for samhain

Historical Examples of samhain

It was on the week before Samhain that the Fomor landed upon Ireland.
The Book of Hallowe'en
Ruth Edna Kelley
Ireland has a literature of Hallowe'en, or "Samhain," as it used to be called.
The Book of Hallowe'en
Ruth Edna Kelley
Child: It is a pity daddy to be away at the fair on a Samhain night.
Seven Short Plays
Lady Gregory
Mother: I must make my feast all the same, for Samhain night is more to me than to any other one.
Seven Short Plays
Lady Gregory
Anyway, I was driven out a Samhain day like this, because of some things that were said against me.
Seven Short Plays
Lady Gregory

British Dictionary definitions for samhain

Samhain

noun

an ancient Celtic festival held on Nov 1 to mark the beginning of winter and the beginning of a new year. It is also celebrated by modern pagans

Word Origin for Samhain

from Irish, from Old Irish samain

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 samhain

Samhain

1888, from Irish samhain (Gaelic samhuinn), from Old Irish samain, literally "summer's end," from Old Irish sam "summer" (see summer (n.1)) + fuin "end." Nov. 1, the Celtic festival of the start of winter and of the new year.