Easter
nounproper nounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈiːstə//
- United States//ˈistəɹ//
A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on the first Sunday (and Monday) following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, ranging in most of Western Christianity (such as Protestantism and Roman Catholicism) from March 22 to April 25, and in Eastern Christianity (such as the Coptic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church) from April 4 to May 8.
noun
- 1
A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on the first Sunday (and Monday) following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, ranging in most of Western Christianity (such as Protestantism and Roman Catholicism) from March 22 to April 25, and in Eastern Christianity (such as the Coptic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church) from April 4 to May 8.
We spent each of the past five Easters together as a family.
During the Easter season, the Russians are planning “a great battle in Donbas,” the Russian-occupied region in Ukraine’s far east. “This is not Christian behavior at all, as I understand it. On Easter they will kill, and they will be killed.”
- 2
Eastertide (“the period from Easter to Whitsun”).
Meronyms: Easter Day, Easter Sunday
- 3
datedUsually preceded by an inflection of make: the act of receiving the Eucharist during Easter.
- 4
A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara, celebrated at the vernal equinox or within the month of April; Eostre, Ostara.
- 5
obsoleteThe Jewish Passover.
After two dayes folowed eſter⸝ and the dayes of ſwete breed. And the hye preſtꝭ [prestis] and ſcrybꝭ [scrybis] ſought meanes⸝ howe they myght take hym [Jesus] by crafte and putt hym to deeth.
- 6
Variant of Easter termEllipsis of Easter term.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ Proto-West Germanic *Austrā Middle English ester English Easter The noun is derived from Middle English ester, from Old English ēastre, seemingly from Ēastre, a proposed Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn whose festival is thought to have been celebrated around the vernal equinox. Further from Proto-West Germanic *Austrā, from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ, derived from either Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- (“dawn; east”) or, more semantically plausible, from *austrą, *auzrą, a metathesized form of *wazrą (“spring (season)”), *-ǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *wósr̥ (“spring”). The English word is cognate with German Low German Oostern (“Easter”), Old High German ōstarūn (modern German Ostern) and is possibly a doublet of east. Despite a modern folk etymology, not related to Ishtar. The verb is derived from the noun.
proper noun
- 1
A surname.
verb
- 1
To celebrate Easter.
- 2
To spend the Easter season in some place.
Forms
- plural
- Easters
- past tense
- Eastered
- past participle
- Eastered
- present participle
- Eastering
- third person singular
- Easters
Easter · A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on the first Sunday (and Monday) following the full moon that…
eastern · Of, facing, situated in, or related to the east.Eastern · Of a region designated as the East by convention or from the…easy · Comfortable; at ease.