Feast

Pronunciation

• enPR: fÄ“st, IPA: /fiːst/
• Rhymes: -iːst

From Middle English feest, feste, fest, from Old French feste, from Latin festa, plural of festum ("holiday, festival, feast"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰēs- ("god, godhead, deity"); see also Ancient Greek θεός (theos, "god, goddess"). More at theo-.

Full definition of feast

Noun

1. A very large meal, often of a ceremonial nature.We had a feast to celebrate the harvest.
2. Something delightfulIt was a feast for the eyes.
3. A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary.
• Bible, Exodus xiii. 6The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.
• Bible, Luke ii. 41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

Synonyms

• banquet

Derived terms

• feast-day
• feastful
• feastly

From Middle English feesten, festen, from Old French fester, from Medieval Latin festāre, from the noun. See above.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To partake in a feast, or large meal.I feasted on turkey and dumplings.
2. (intransitive) To dwell upon (something) with delight.
• ShakespeareWith my love's picture then my eye doth feast.
3. (transitive) To hold a feast in honor of (someone).We feasted them after the victory.

Derived terms

• feaster
• feast one’s eyes

Anagrams

• fates, Fates
• feats
• fetas