Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A Christian feast commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus.
  • noun The day on which this feast is observed, the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after March 21.
  • noun Eastertide.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Eastern; easterly.
  • To change toward the east, as the wind; move toward the east, as the head of a vessel.
  • noun A festival observed in the Christian church, from early times, in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • Of or pertaining to Easter.
  • In the English universities, a term held in the spring and lasting for about six weeks after Easter.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb (Naut.) To veer to the east; -- said of the wind.
  • noun An annual church festival commemorating Christ's resurrection, and occurring on Sunday, the second day after Good Friday. It corresponds to the pascha or passover of the Jews, and most nations still give it this name under the various forms of pascha, pasque, pâque, or pask.
  • noun The day on which the festival is observed; Easter day.
  • noun (Ch. of Eng.) money due to the clergy at Easter, formerly paid in communication of the tithe for personal labor and subject to exaction. For Easter dues, Easter offerings, voluntary gifts, have been substituted.
  • noun An imitation of an egg, in sugar or some fine material, sometimes made to serve as a box for jewelry or the like, used as an Easter present.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Christianity A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Christ; the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, neither earlier than March 22 nor later than April 25.
  • noun Eastertide
  • noun obsolete The Jewish passover.
  • noun paganism A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara and celebrated at the spring equinox or within the month of April. Also known as Eostre.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
  • noun a wind from the east

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English ester, from Old English ēastre; see aus- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English ēastre, apparently from Ēastre, the name of a goddess whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Easter.

Examples

  • Easter festivities: The Seaside Center for Spiritual Living, 1613 Lake Drive, Encinitas will hold the following activities Sunday: Easter Sunrise service in the Meditation Garden, 6 a.m.; celebration services in the sanctuary, 9 and 11 a.m.

    Fore, right! < 2010

  • Easter festivities: The Seaside Center for Spiritual Living, 1613 Lake Drive, Encinitas will hold the following activities Sunday: Easter Sunrise service in the Meditation Garden, 6 a.m.; celebration services in the sanctuary, 9 and 11 a.m.

    Fore, right! < 2010

  • He says that the Saxon invaders in Britain chomped on buns adorned with impressions of crosses in honor of the pagan goddess of light, Eostre, from whom the name Easter is derived.

    One For The Table: Perfect for Easter Hot Cross Buns One For The Table 2011

  • He says that the Saxon invaders in Britain chomped on buns adorned with impressions of crosses in honor of the pagan goddess of light, Eostre, from whom the name Easter is derived.

    One For The Table: Perfect for Easter Hot Cross Buns One For The Table 2011

  • For the un-initiated, the term Easter eggs is geek parlance for secret gags and goofs buried deep inside software.

    Latest from Computerworld Jared Newman 2010

  • For the un-initiated, the term Easter eggs is geek parlance for secret gags and goofs buried deep inside software.

    PCWorld 2010

  • For the un-initiated, the term Easter eggs is geek parlance for secret gags and goofs buried deep inside software.

    PCWorld 2010

  • For the un-initiated, the term Easter eggs is geek parlance for secret gags and goofs buried deep inside software.

    PCWorld 2010

  • Have you ever wondered where the term Easter comes from?

    The Latest on Air America 2009

  • This Easter is the one-year anniversary of my being Catholic.

    How I Became a Sci Fi Catholic, Part 1 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.