movable feast

movable feast
Feast Feast (f[=e]st), n. [OE. feste festival, holiday, feast, OF. feste festival, F. f[^e]te, fr. L. festum, pl. festa, fr. festus joyful, festal; of uncertain origin. Cf. {Fair}, n., {Festal}, {F[^e]te}.] 1. A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary. [1913 Webster]

The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. --Ex. xiii. 6. [1913 Webster]

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. --Luke ii. 41. [1913 Webster]

Note: An Ecclesiastical feast is called a {immovable feast} when it always occurs on the same day of the year; otherwise it is called a {movable feast}. Easter is a notable movable feast. [1913 Webster]

2. A festive or joyous meal; a grand, ceremonious, or sumptuous entertainment, of which many guests partake; a banquet characterized by tempting variety and abundance of food. [1913 Webster]

Enough is as good as a feast. --Old Proverb. [1913 Webster]

Belshazzar the King made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. --Dan. v. 1. [1913 Webster]

3. That which is partaken of, or shared in, with delight; something highly agreeable; entertainment. [1913 Webster]

The feast of reason, and the flow of soul. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

{Feast day}, a holiday; a day set as a solemn commemorative festival.

Syn: Entertainment; regale; banquet; treat; carousal; festivity; festival.

Usage: {Feast}, {Banquet}, {Festival}, {Carousal}. A feast sets before us viands superior in quantity, variety, and abundance; a banquet is a luxurious feast; a festival is the joyful celebration by good cheer of some agreeable event. Carousal is unrestrained indulgence in frolic and drink. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Movable feast — Movable Mov a*ble, a. [Cf. OF. movable. See {Move}.] 1. Capable of being moved, lifted, carried, drawn, turned, or conveyed, or in any way made to change place or posture; susceptible of motion; not fixed or stationary; as, a movable steam engine …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • movable feast — n BrE 1.) informal something that happens at different times, so that you are not sure exactly when it will happen 2.) a special religious day, such as Easter, the date of which changes …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • movable feast — noun count 1. ) a religious holiday that is on a different date in different years, for example, Easter 2. ) BRITISH INFORMAL something that can be arranged to happen at any time that suits people …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • movable feast — noun a religious holiday that falls on different dates in different years • Syn: ↑moveable feast • Hypernyms: ↑feast day, ↑fete day • Hyponyms: ↑Easter, ↑Passover, ↑Pesach, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • movable feast — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms movable feast : singular movable feast plural movable feasts 1) British informal something that can be arranged to happen at any time that suits people 2) a religious holiday that is on a different date in… …   English dictionary

  • Movable feast — Term given to feast days determined by the date of *Easter, which itself is movable, taking place on the first Sunday following each spring s first full moon. Such feast days are: Ash Wednesday, Lent, Ascension Thursday, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • movable feast — noun a day of note, frequently Christian, the date of which moves from year to year according to a set of rules. Ant: fixed feast, immovable feast …   Wiktionary

  • movable feast — a religious feast that does not occur on the same date each year. [1275 1325; ME] * * * …   Universalium

  • movable feast — /muvəbəl ˈfist/ (say moohvuhbuhl feest) noun 1. a feast day which may fall on different dates in different years, as Easter Sunday, determined by the date of the full moon after 20 March. 2. an occasion which can be moved readily to whatever date …  

  • movable feast — noun (C) 1 BrE informal something that happens at different times, so that you are not sure exactly when it will happen 2 a special religious day, such as Easter, the date of which changes …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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