Holiday

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: Hol=i=day

CIDE DICTIONARY

Holiday, n. [Holy + day.].

•  A consecrated day; religious anniversary; a day set apart in honor of some person, or in commemoration of some event. See Holyday.  [1913 Webster]
•  A day of exemption from labor; a day of amusement and gayety; a festival day.  [1913 Webster]

  "And young and old come forth to play
  On a sunshine holiday."  [1913 Webster]
•  A day fixed by law for suspension of business; a legal holiday.  [1913 Webster]

  " In the United States legal holidays, so called, are determined by law, commonly by the statutes of the several States. The holidays most generally observed are: the 22d day of February (Washington's birthday), the 30th day of May (Memorial day), the 4th day of July (Independence day), the 25th day of December (Christmas day). In most of the States the 1st day of January is a holiday. When any of these days falls on Sunday, usually the Monday following is observed as the holiday. In many of the States a day in the spring (as Good Friday, or the first Thursday in April), and a day in the fall (as the last Thursday in November) are now regularly appointed by Executive proclamation to be observed, the former as a day of fasting and prayer, the latter as a day of thanksgiving and are kept as holidays. In England, the days of the greater church feasts (designated in the calendar by a red letter, and commonly called red-letter days) are observed as general holidays. Bank holidays are those on which, by act of Parliament, banks may suspend business. Although Sunday is a holiday in the sense of a day when business is legally suspended, it is not usually included in the general term, the phrase “Sundays and holidays” being more common."  [1913 Webster]

The holidays, any fixed or usual period for relaxation or festivity; especially, Christmas and New Year's day with the intervening time.

Holiday, a. 

•  Of or pertaining to a festival; cheerful; joyous; gay.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  Occurring rarely; adapted for a special occasion.  [1913 Webster]

  "Courage is but a holiday kind of virtue, to be seldom exercised."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Holiday, n. & v.
--n.
1 esp. Brit. (often in pl.) an extended period of recreation, esp. away from home or in travelling; a break from work (cf. VACATION).
2 a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done, esp. a religious festival etc.
3 (attrib.) (of clothes etc.) festive.
--v.intr. esp. Brit. spend a holiday.

Idiom

holiday camp Brit. a camp for holiday-makers with accommodation, entertainment, and facilities on site. holiday centre a place with many tourist attractions. holiday-maker esp. Brit. a person on holiday. on holiday (or one's holidays) in the course of one's holiday. take a (or make) holiday have a break from work.

Etymology

OE haligd{aelig}g (HOLY, DAY)

THESAURUS

Holiday

AWOL, Admission Day, Arbor Day, Armed Forces Day, Armistice Day, Army Day, Bastille Day, Christmas, Colorado Day, Constitution Day, Decoration Day, Dewali, Discovery Day, Double Ten, Easter Monday, Election Day, Empire Day, Evacuation Day, Flag Day, Foundation Day, Fourth of July, French leave, Groundhog Day, Halifax Day, Halloween, High Holiday, High Holy Day, Holi, Ides of March, Kuhio Day, Labor Day, Lenin Memorial Day, Loyalty Day, Maryland Day, May Day, Mecklenburg Day, Memorial Day, Midsummer Day, National Aviation Day, Navy Day, Nevada Day, Pan American Day, Pascua Florida Day, Pioneer Day, Remembrance Day, Roosevelt Day, State Day, Sunday, Texas Independence Day, United Nations Day, V-E Day, Victory Day, West Virginia Day, Wyoming Day, abeyance, abscondence, absence, absence without leave, absentation, absenteeism, absenting, anniversaries, bank holiday, break, caesura, cease-fire, celebrating, celebration, ceremony, church feast, coffee break, comfortable, commemoration, cut, day of festivities, day off, default, departure, disappearance, downtime, dressing ship, drop, escape, event, excused absence, fair, fanfare, fanfaronade, feast, feast day, festal, festival, festival day, festivity, fete, fete day, fixed feast, fleeing, flourish of trumpets, furlough, gala, gala day, go on furlough, go on leave, half time, half-time intermission, hesitation, high day, holy day, hooky, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, jubilee, lapse, layoff, leave, leave of absence, leaving, legal holiday, letup, liberty, lull, make holiday, marking the occasion, memorialization, memory, nonappearance, nonattendance, observance, off-time, ovation, paid holiday, paid vacation, pause, plateau, point of repose, quiet, quiet spell, recess, red-letter day, rejoicing, relief, religious rites, remembrance, remission, respite, rest, restful, resting point, revel, rite, ritual observance, running away, sabbatical, sabbatical leave, sabbatical year, salute, salvo, shore leave, sick leave, solemn observance, solemnization, stand-down, stay, suspension, take a holiday, take leave, testimonial, testimonial banquet, testimonial dinner, time off, time out, toast, tribute, triumph, truancy, truantism, truce, unexcused absence, vacation, vacational, weekend

ROGET THESAURUS

Holiday

Leisure

N leisure, convenience, spare time, spare hours, spare moments, vacant hour, time, time to spare, time on one's hands, holiday, relaxation, otium cum dignitate, ease, no hurry, no big rush, no deadline, leisure, leisurely, slow, deliberate, quiet, calm, undisturbed, at leisure, at one's ease, at loose ends, at a loose end, unhurriedly, deliberately, without undue haste, anytime, time hanging heavy on one's hands, eile mit Weile.

Repose

N repose, rest, silken repose, sleep, relaxation, breathing time, halt, stay, pause, respite, day of rest, dies non, Sabbath, Lord's day, holiday, red-letter day, vacation, recess, reposing, relaxed, unstrained, unstressed, at rest, The best of men have ever loved repose, to repair our nature with comforting repose.

Amusement

N amusement, entertainment, recreation, fun, game, fun and games, diversion, divertissement, reaction, solace, pastime, passetemps, sport, labor of love, pleasure, relaxation, leisure, fun, frolic, merriment, jollity, joviality, jovialness, heyday, laughter, jocosity, jocoseness, drollery, buffoonery, tomfoolery, mummery, pleasantry, wit, quip, quirk, giggle, titter, snigger, snicker, crow, cheer, chuckle, shout, horse laugh, belly laugh, hearty laugh, guffaw, burst of laughter, fit of laughter, shout of laughter, roar of laughter, peal of laughter, cachinnation, Kentish fire, tiger, play, game, game at romps, gambol, romp, prank, antic, rig, lark, spree, skylarking, vagary, monkey trick, gambade, fredaine, escapade, echappee, bout, espieglerie, practical joke, dance, hop, reel, rigadoon, saraband, hornpipe, bolero, ballroom dance, minuet, waltz, polka, fox trot, tango, samba, rhumba, twist, stroll, hustle, cha-cha, fandango, cancan, bayadere, breakdown, cake-walk, cornwallis, break dancing, nautch-girl, shindig, skirtdance, stag dance, Virginia reel, square dance, galop, galopade, jig, Irish jig, fling, strathspey, allemande, gavot, gavotte, tarantella, mazurka, morisco, morris dance, quadrille, country dance, folk dance, cotillon, Sir Roger de Coverley, ballet, ball, bal, bal masque, bal costume, masquerade, Terpsichore, festivity, merrymaking, party, blowout, hullabaloo, hoedown, bat, bum, bust, clambake, donation party, fish fry, jamboree, kantikoy, nautch, randy, squantum, tear, Turnerfest, yule log, fete, festival, gala, ridotto, revels, revelry, reveling, carnival, brawl, saturnalia, high jinks, feast, banquet, regale, symposium, wassail, carouse, carousal, jollification, junket, wake, Irish wake, picnic, fete champetre, regatta, field day, treat, round of pleasures, dissipation, a short life and a merry one, racketing, holiday making, rejoicing, jubilee, bonfire, fireworks, feu-de-joie, firecracker, holiday, gala day, red letter day, play day, high days and holidays, high holiday, Bank holiday, May day, Derby day, Saint Monday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, Bairam, wayz-goos, bean feast, Arbor Day, Declaration Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, Mardi gras, mi-careme, feria, fiesta, place of amusement, theater, hall, concert room, ballroom, assemblyroom, music hall, park, plaisance, national park, national forest, state park, county park, city park, vest-pocket park, public park (public), arbor, garden, pleasure ground, playground, cricketground, croquet ground, archery ground, hunting ground, tennis court, racket court, bowling alley, green alley, croquet lawn, rink, glaciarum, skating rink, roundabout, merry-go-round, swing, montagne Russe, game of chance, game of skill, athletic sports, gymnastics, archery, rifle shooting, tournament, pugilism, sports, horse racing, the turf, aquatics, skating, sliding, cricket, tennis, lawn tennis, hockey, football, baseball, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, rackets, fives, trap bat and ball, battledore and shuttlecock, la grace, pall- mall, tipcat, croquet, golf, curling, pallone, polo, water polo, tent pegging, tilting at the ring, quintain, greasy pole, quoits, horseshoes, discus, rounders, lacrosse, tobogganing, water polo, knurr and spell, leapfrog, hop skip and jump, mother may I, French and English, tug of war, blindman's bluff, hunt the slopper, hide and seek, kiss in the ring, snapdragon, cross questions and crooked answers, crisscross, hopscotch, jacks, jackstones, marbles, mumblety-peg, mumble-the-peg, pushball, shinney, shinny, tag, billiards, pool, pingpong, pyramids, bagatelle, bowls, skittles, ninepins, kain, American bowls, tenpins, tivoli, cards, card games, whist, rubber, round game, loo, cribbage, besique, euchre, drole, ecarte, picquet, allfours, quadrille, omber, reverse, Pope Joan, commit, boston, boaston, blackjack, twenty- one, vingtun, quinze, thirty-one, put, speculation, connections, brag, cassino, lottery, commerce, snip-snap-snoren, lift smoke, blind hookey, Polish bank, Earl of Coventry, Napoleon, patience, pairs, banker, blind poker, draw poker, straight poker, stud poker, bluff, bridge, bridge whist, lotto, monte, three-card monte, nap, penny-ante, poker, reversis, squeezers, old maid, fright, beggar-my- neighbor, baccarat, ace, king, queen, knave, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, trey, deuce, joker, trump, wild card, spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds, major suit, minor suit, bower, right bower, left bower, dummy, jackpot, deck, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full-house, four of a kind, royal flush, misere chess, draughts, checkers, checquers, backgammon, dominos, merelles, nine men's morris, go bang, solitaire, game of fox and goose, monopoly, loto, scrabble, scribbage, boggle, crossword puzzle, hangman, morra, gambling, toy, plaything, bauble, doll, teetotum, knickknack, magic lantern, peep show, puppet show, raree show, gallanty show, toy shop, quips and cranks and wanton wiles, nods and becks and wreathed smiles, entertainer, showman, showgirl, dancer, tap dancer, song-and-dance man, vaudeville act, singer, musician, sportsman, gamester, reveler, master of ceremonies, master of revels, pompom girl, arbiter elegantiarum, arbiter bibendi, archer, fan, toxophilite, turfman, amusing, entertaining, diverting, recreational, recreative, lusory, pleasant, laughable, witty, fun, festive, festal, jovial, jolly, jocund, roguish, rompish, playful, playful as a kitten, sportive, ludibrious, funny, very funny, hilarious, uproarious, side-splitting, amused, pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw, laughing, risible, ready to burst, ready to split, ready to die with laughter, convulsed with laughter, rolling in the aisles, on the light fantastic toe, at play, in sport, Int, vive la bagatelle!, vogue la galere!, deus nobis haec otia fecit, dum vivimus vivamus, dulce est desipere in loco, (every room) hath blazed with lights and brayed wi, misce stullitiam consiliis brevem.

Celebration

N celebration, solemnization, jubilee, commemoration, ovation, paean, triumph, jubilation, ceremony (rite), holiday, fiesta, zarabanda, revelry, feast (amusement), china anniversary, diamond anniversary, golden anniversary, silver anniversary, tin anniversary, china jubilee, diamond jubilee, golden jubilee, silver jubilee, tin jubilee, china wedding, diamond wedding, golden wedding, silver wedding, tin wedding, triumphal arch, bonfire, salute, salvo, salvo of artillery, feu de joie, flourish of trumpets, fanfare, colors flying, illuminations, inauguration, installation, presentation, coronation, Lord Mayor's show, harvest-home, red-letter day, trophy, Te Deum, fete, holiday, Forefathers' Day, celebrating, commemorative, celebrated, immortal, in honor of, in commemoration of, Int, hail!, all hail!, io paean, io triumphe!, see the conquering hero comes!, celebration, solemnization, jubilee, commemoration, ovation, paean, triumph, jubilation, ceremony (rite), holiday, fiesta, zarabanda, revelry, feast (amusement), china anniversary, diamond anniversary, golden anniversary, silver anniversary, tin anniversary, china jubilee, diamond jubilee, golden jubilee, silver jubilee, tin jubilee, china wedding, diamond wedding, golden wedding, silver wedding, tin wedding, triumphal arch, bonfire, salute, salvo, salvo of artillery, feu de joie, flourish of trumpets, fanfare, colors flying, illuminations, inauguration, installation, presentation, coronation, Lord Mayor's show, harvest-home, red-letter day, trophy, Te Deum, fete, holiday, Forefathers' Day, celebrating, commemorative, celebrated, immortal, in honor of, in commemoration of, Int, hail!, all hail!, io paean, io triumphe!, see the conquering hero comes!.