Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The first weekday after Christmas, celebrated as a holiday in parts of the British Commonwealth, when Christmas gifts are traditionally given to service workers.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In England, the first week-day after Christmas, when Christmas boxes or presents are given to one's employees, to postmen, etc.
- n. In the Scottish law-courts, same as box-day.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- engraving The first week day after Christmas, a legal holiday on which Christmas boxes are given to postmen, errand boys, employees, etc. The night of this day is
boxing night .
WordNet 3.0
- n. first weekday after Christmas
Etymologies
- Perhaps because of boxes that were placed outside churches to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of St Stephen, or because of the old British custom of tradesmen collecting "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service (mentioned by diarist Samuel Pepys). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“I am pleased to pass on some welcome news about a South Australian man who had been believed missing in the aftermath of the Boxing Day Tsunamis.”
“Efforts by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to locate and identify the body of every Australian victim of the Boxing Day Tsunami disaster have ended following a final positive identification, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, announced today.”
“Boxing Day made her, if anything, more tight-lipped than usual, for on that day the Minivers were in the habit of eating a "June dinner" as a respite from Christmas food: a practice which Mrs. Adie looked upon as unnatural and faintly sacrilegious.”
“Tragedies such as those caused by the Boxing Day tsunami,”
Australia, ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific - The Hon Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs
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