feast
pronunciation
How to pronounce feast in British English:
UK [fiːst]
How to pronounce feast in American English:
US [fiːst]
-
- Noun:
- a ceremonial dinner party for many people
- something experienced with great delight
- a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed
- an elaborate party (often outdoors)
-
- Verb:
- partake in a feast or banquet
- provide a feast or banquet for
- gratify
Word Origin
- feast
- feast: [13] The notion of ‘eating’ is a secondary semantic development for feast, whose underlying meaning (as may be guessed from the related festival [14] and festivity [14]) has more to do with joyousness than with the appeasement of hunger. Its ultimate source is the Latin adjective festus, which meant ‘joyful, merry’. This was used as a plural noun, festa, meaning ‘celebratory ceremonies, particularly of a religious nature’, which came down to Old French as feste.This was the source of English feast, and its modern French descendant gave English fête [18]. Incidentally, the sense ‘sumptuous meal’, present in feast but not in fête, goes back to the Latin singular noun festum. Also related is festoon [17], acquired via French from Italian festone, which originally meant ‘ornament for a festive occasion’; and fair (as in fairground) comes ultimately from Latin fēria, first cousin to festus.=> fair, festival, festoon, fête
- feast (v.)
- c. 1300, "partake of a feast," from Old French fester "to feast, make merry; observe (a holiday)" (Modern French fêter), from feste "religious festival" (see feast (n.)). Related: Feasted; feasting.
- feast (n.)
- c. 1200, "secular celebration with feasting and entertainment" (often held on a church holiday); c. 1300, "religious anniversary characterized by rejoicing" (rather than fasting), from Old French feste "religious festival, holy day; holiday; market, fair; noise, racket; jest, fun" (12c., Modern French fête), from Vulgar Latin *festa (fem. singular; also source of Italian festa, Spanish fiesta), from Latin festa "holidays, feasts, festal banquets," noun use of neuter plural of festus "festive, joyful, merry," related to feriae "holiday" and fanum "temple," from Proto-Italic *fasno- "temple," from PIE *dhis-no- "divine, holy; consecrated place," from *dhes- "root of words in religious concepts" [Watkins]. The spelling -ea- was used in Middle English to represent the sound we mis-call "long e." Meaning "abundant meal" (whether public or private) is by late 14c. Meaning "any enjoyable occasion or event" is from late 14c.
Example
- 1. The person is getting ready for a feast .
- 2. Both offer a veritable mobile feast of form and function .
- 3. After the feast , the bones were stored for months in treasure houses .
- 4. Dining can be a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds .
- 5. Just the cold , wet afterthought to a piping-hot feast cooked with patience and love .