[hol-i-dey] 
| 1. | a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person. |
| 2. | any day of exemption from work (distinguished from working day ). |
| 3. | a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc.: New businesses may be granted a one-year tax holiday. |
| 4. | a religious feast day; holy day, esp. any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism. |
| 5. | Sometimes, holidays. Chiefly British. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation. |
| 6. | an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface. |
| 7. | of or pertaining to a festival; festive; joyous: a holiday mood. |
| 8. | suitable for a holiday: holiday attire. |
| 9. | Chiefly British. to vacation: to holiday at the seaside. |
[hol-i-dey] Billie (“Lady Day” ), 1915–59, U.S. jazz singer. |
| hol·i·day (hŏl'ĭ-dā') n.
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·day'er n. |
| Hol·i·day (hŏl'ĭ-dā') American singer. The emotional intensity of her performances made Holiday the leading female jazz vocalist of her time. |
holiday
(from "holy day"), originally, a day of dedication to religious observance; in modern times, a day of either religious or secular commemoration. Many holidays of the major world religions tend to occur at the approximate dates of more ancient, pagan festivals. In the case of Christianity, this is sometimes owing to the policy of the early church of scheduling Christian observances at dates when they would eclipse pagan ones-a practice that proved more efficacious than merely prohibiting the earlier celebrations. In other cases, the similarity of the date is due to the tendency to celebrate turning points of the seasons, or to a combination of the two factors
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