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.
A religious feast day; a holy day.
Chiefly British A vacation. Often used in the phrase on holiday.
intr.v.
holi·dayed, holi·day·ing, holi·daysChiefly British
To pass a holiday or vacation.
[Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English hālig dæg : hālig, holy; see holy + dæg, day; see day.]
Hol·i·dayAudio Help (hŏl'ĭ-dā') Pronunciation Key
American singer. The emotional intensity of her performances made Holiday the leading female jazz vocalist of her time.
O.E. haligdæg, from halig "holy" + dæg "day;" in 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of recreation," but pronunciation and sense diverged 16c.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure; "we get two weeks of vacation every summer"; "we took a short holiday in Puerto Rico" [syn: vacation]
2.
a day on which work is suspended by law or custom; "no mail is delivered on federal holidays"; "it's a good thing that New Year's was a holiday because everyone had a hangover"
a day when one does not have to work Example: Next Monday is a holiday.
Arabic:
يوم عُطْلَه، عيد
Chinese (Simplified):
假日
Chinese (Traditional):
假日
Czech:
volný den
Danish:
helligdag; feriedag
Dutch:
vrije dag
Estonian:
puhkepäev
Finnish:
vapaapäivä
French:
(jour de) congé; jour férié
German:
der Ferientag
Greek:
αργία, γιορτή
Hungarian:
munkaszüneti nap
Icelandic:
frídagur
Indonesian:
libur
Italian:
giorno festivo*
Japanese:
休日
Korean:
공휴일
Latvian:
svētki; brīvdiena
Lithuanian:
poilsio diena, šventė
Norwegian:
helligdag, fridag, ferie
Polish:
święto
Portuguese (Brazil):
feriado, dia de descanso
Portuguese (Portugal):
feriado
Romanian:
zi de sărbătoare
Russian:
выходной день
Slovak:
voľný deň
Slovenian:
praznik
Spanish:
fiesta, día festivo
Swedish:
helgdag, fridag, lovdag
Turkish:
tatil (günü)
holiday2[ˈholədi]noun
(often in plural) a period of time when one does not have to work Example: The summer holidays will soon be here; We're going to Sweden for our holiday(s); I'm taking two weeks' holiday in June; (also adjective) holiday clothes
Holiday Heights, NJ (CDP, FIPS 32424) Location: 39.94583 N, 74.25435 W Population (1990): 703 (381 housing units) Area: 3.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Holiday Hills, IL (village, FIPS 35515) Location: 42.29130 N, 88.22688 W Population (1990): 807 (268 housing units) Area: 0.8 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Holiday Lakes, TX (town, FIPS 34502) Location: 29.20881 N, 95.51421 W Population (1990): 1039 (432 housing units) Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 0.4 sq km (water)
Holiday Valley, OH (CDP, FIPS 35868) Location: 39.84771 N, 83.96652 W Population (1990): 1243 (433 housing units) Area: 5.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Holiday City South, NJ (CDP, FIPS 32418) Location: 39.94868 N, 74.23663 W Population (1990): 5452 (3126 housing units) Area: 4.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Holiday, FL (CDP, FIPS 31075) Location: 28.18593 N, 82.74218 W Population (1990): 19360 (12160 housing units) Area: 13.4 sq km (land), 0.8 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 34690, 34691
Holiday City-Berkeley, NJ (CDP, FIPS 32415) Location: 39.95959 N, 74.27771 W Population (1990): 14293 (8808 housing units) Area: 14.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Holiday City-Dover, NJ (CDP, FIPS 32416) Location: 40.02120 N, 74.16716 W Population (1990): 2391 (1626 housing units) Area: 2.9 sq km (land), 0.2 sq km (water)
Hal"i*but\ (?;277), n. [OE. hali holy + but, butte, flounder; akin to D. bot, G. butte; cf. D. heilbot, G. heilbutt. So named as being eaten on holidays. See Holy, Holiday.] (Zo["o]l.) A large, northern, marine flatfish (Hippoglossus vulgaris), of the family Pleuronectid[ae]. It often grows very large, weighing more than three hundred pounds. It is an important food fish. [Written also holibut.]
Hol"i*day\, n. [Holy + day.]1. A consecrated day; religious anniversary; a day set apart in honor of some person, or in commemoration of some event. See Holyday. 2. A day of exemption from labor; a day of amusement and gayety; a festival day. And young and old come forth to play On a sunshine holiday. --Milton. 3. (Law) A day fixed by law for suspension of business; a legal holiday. Note: In the United States legal holidays, so called, are determined by law, commonly by the statutes of the several States. The holidays most generally observed are: the 22d day of February (Washington's birthday), the 30th day of May (Memorial day), the 4th day of July (Independence day), the 25th day of December (Christmas day). In most of the States the 1st day of January is a holiday. When any of these days falls on Sunday, usually the Monday following is observed as the holiday. In many of the States a day in the spring (as Good Friday, or the first Thursday in April), and a day in the fall (as the last Thursday in November) are now regularly appointed by Executive proclamation to be observed, the former as a day of fasting and prayer, the latter as a day of thanksgiving and are kept as holidays. In England, the days of the greater church feasts (designated in the calendar by a red letter, and commonly called red-letter days) are observed as general holidays. Bank holidays are those on which, by act of Parliament, banks may suspend business. Although Sunday is a holiday in the sense of a day when business is legally suspended, it is not usually included in the general term, the phrase "Sundays and holidays" being more common. The holidays, any fixed or usual period for relaxation or festivity; especially, Christmas and New Year's day with the intervening time.
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Audio Help [hol-i-dey] Pronunciation Key 
