Feast definition |Dictionary.com

Feast

8 dictionary results for: Feast

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

feast

[feest] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	any rich or abundant meal: The steak dinner was a feast.

2.	a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests: a wedding feast.

3.	something highly agreeable: The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.

4.	a periodical celebration or time of celebration, usually of a religious nature, commemorating an event, person, etc.: Every year, in September, the townspeople have a feast in honor of their patron saint.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.

6.	to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.

–verb (used with object)

7.	to provide or entertain with a feast.

—Idiom

8.	feast one's eyes, to gaze with great joy, admiration, or relish: to feast one's eyes on the Grand Canyon.

[Origin: 1150–1200; ME feste < OF < L fésta, neut. pl. (taken as fem. sing. n.) of féstus festal, festive, equiv. to fés- (akin to fair²) + -tus adj. suffix

]

—Related forms

feaster, noun

feastless, adjective

—Synonyms 2. Feast, banquet imply large social events, with an abundance of food. A feast is a meal with a plenteous supply of food and drink for a large company: to provide a feast for all company employees. A banquet is an elaborate feast for a formal and ceremonious occasion: the main speaker at a banquet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

feast (fēst) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A large, elaborately prepared meal, usually for many persons and often accompanied by entertainment; a banquet.
2. A meal that is well prepared and abundantly enjoyed.
A periodic religious festival commemorating an event or honoring a god or saint.
Something giving great pleasure or satisfaction: a book that is a veritable feast for the mind.

v.   feast·ed, feast·ing, feasts

v.   tr.
To give a feast for; entertain or feed sumptuously: feasted the guests on venison.

v.   intr.

To partake of a feast; eat heartily.
To experience something with gratification or delight: feasted on the view.

[Middle English feste, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *fēsta, from Latin, pl. of fēstum, from fēstus, festive; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots.]

feast'er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
feast (n.)

c.1200, from O.Fr. feste "festival, feast," from V.L. *festa (fem. sing.), from L. festa "holidays, feasts," from neut. pl. of festus "festive, joyful, merry," related to feriæ "holiday" and fanum "temple." The spelling -ea- was used in M.E. to represent the sound we mis-call "long e." The verb first attested c.1300.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

feast
noun
1.	a ceremonial dinner party for many people [syn: banquet]
2.	something experienced with great delight; "a feast for the eyes"
3.	a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed; "a banquet for the graduating seniors"; "the Thanksgiving feast"; "they put out quite a spread" [syn: banquet]
4.	an elaborate party (often outdoors) [syn: fete]
verb
1.	partake in a feast or banquet
2.	provide a feast or banquet for
3.	gratify; "feed one's eyes on a gorgeous view" [syn: feed]

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Feast

Ca*rous"al\, n. [See Carouse, but also cf. F. carrousel tilt.] A jovial feast or festival; a drunken revel; a carouse.

The swains were preparing for a carousal. --Sterne.

Syn: Banquet; revel; orgie; carouse. See Feast.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Feast

Fair\, n. [OE. feire, OF. feire, F. foire, fr. L. fariae, pl., days of rest, holidays, festivals, akin to festus festal. See Feast.]

1. A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for trade.

2. A festival, and sale of fancy articles. erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army fair.

3. A competitive exhibition of wares, farm products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair.

After the fair, Too late. [Colloq.]

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Feast

Feast\ (f[=e]st), n. [OE. feste festival, holiday, feast, OF. feste festival, F. f[^e]te, fr. L. festum, pl. festa, fr. festus joyful, festal; of uncertain origin. Cf. Fair, n., Festal, F[^e]te.]

1. A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary.

The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. --Ex. xiii. 6.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. --Luke ii. 41.

Note: Ecclesiastical fasts are called immovable when they always occur on the same day of the year; otherwise they are called movable.

2. A festive or joyous meal; a grand, ceremonious, or sumptuous entertainment, of which many guests partake; a banquet characterized by tempting variety and abundance of food.

Enough is as good as a feast. --Old Proverb.

Belshazzar the King made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. --Dan. v. 1.

3. That which is partaken of, or shared in, with delight; something highly agreeable; entertainment.

The feast of reason, and the flow of soul. --Pope.

Feast day, a holiday; a day set as a solemn commemo?ative festival.

Syn: Entertainment; regale; banquet; treat; carousal; festivity; festival.

Usage: Feast, Banquet, Festival, Carousal. A feast sets before us viands superior in quantity, variety, and abudance; a banquet is a luxurious feast; a festival is the joyful celebration by good cheer of some agreeable event. Carousal is unrestrained indulgence in frolic and drink.

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