Definitions

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

  • noun A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event.
  • noun A religious feast day; a holy day.
  • noun Chiefly British A vacation. Often used in the phrase on holiday.
  • intransitive verb To pass a holiday or vacation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make holiday; go pleasuring; waste time in play.
  • noun A consecrated day; a religious anniversary; a day set apart for commemorating some important event or in honor of some person.
  • noun An occasion of joy and gaiety.
  • noun A day of exemption from labor, or of recreation and amusement; a day or a number of days during which ordinary occupations are suspended, either by an individual or by a community.
  • noun Nautical, a spot carelessly left uncoated in tarring or painting a ship or its appurtenances.
  • Pertaining to a festival; befitting a holiday; cheerful; joyous; hence, suited only to a holiday; dainty; not fitted for serious action or life.
  • noun The Christmas season.

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

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a festival; cheerful; joyous; gay.
  • adjective Occurring rarely; adapted for a special occasion.
  • noun A consecrated day; religious anniversary; a day set apart in honor of some person, or in commemoration of some event. See holyday.
  • noun A day of exemption from labor; a day of amusement and gayety; a festival day.
  • noun (Law) A day fixed by law for suspension of business; a legal holiday.
  • noun any fixed or usual period for relaxation or festivity; especially, Christmas and New Year's day with the intervening time.

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

  • noun A day on which a festival, religious event, or national celebration is traditionally observed.
  • noun A day declared free from work by the government.
  • noun A period of one or more days taken off work by an employee for leisure.
  • noun A period during which pupils and students do not attend their school or university.
  • noun A period taken off work or study for travel.
  • verb To take a period of time away from work or study.
  • verb UK To spend a period of time for travel.

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

  • noun leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
  • verb spend or take a vacation
  • noun a day on which work is suspended by law or custom

Etymologies

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

[Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English hālig dæg : hālig, holy; see holy + dæg, day; see day.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

holy +‎ day

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Examples

Comments

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  • Great classic movie starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant!

    December 14, 2006

  • "I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

    This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

    On holiday"

    August 29, 2008

  • It's a jolly 'oliday with Mary!

    Mary makes your 'eart so light

    When the day is grey an' ordinary

    Mary makes the sun shine bright!

    December 18, 2009