Easter
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈiːstə/
ipa: /ˈistəɹ/
rhymes: -iːstə(ɹ)
Forms: form: Easters
Etymology: 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.
Senses: examples: text: We spent each of the past five Easters together as a family.
text: 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.”
ref: 2022 April 15, Anne Applebaum, Jeffrey Goldberg, quoting Volodymyr Zelensky, “LIBERATION WITHOUT VICTORY”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 15 Apr 2022:
topics: Christianity
synonyms: Easter Day
Easter Sunday
glosses: 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.
examples: Meronyms: Easter Day, Easter Sunday
topics: Christianity
glosses: Eastertide (“the period from Easter to Whitsun”).
topics: Catholicism
Christianity
Roman-Catholicism
glosses: Usually preceded by an inflection of make: the act of receiving the Eucharist during Easter.
topics: education
law
glosses: Ellipsis of Easter term.
topics: lifestyle
paganism
religion
glosses: A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara, celebrated at the vernal equinox or within the month of April; Eostre, Ostara.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Marke xiiij:[1], folio lxv, verso:
glosses: The Jewish Passover.
Derived terms: Christmas and Easter Christian
Easter basket
Easter bilby
Easter Bunny
Easter Rabbit
Easter cactus
Easter daisy
Easter Day
Easter egg
Easter Egger
Easter egg hunt
Easter egg roll
Easterfest
Easter flower
Easter Friday
Easter giant
Easter grass
Easter Island
Easter Islander
Easter lily
Easter Monday
Eastermonth
Easter Moon
Easter Rising
Easter Saturday
Easter Sunday
Easter term
Easter Thursday
Eastertide
Eastertime
Easter Tuesday
Easter Wednesday
Eastery
empty as the tomb on Easter
Octave Day of Easter
Octave of Easter
Russian Easter bread
Second Sunday of Easter
Ukrainian Easter egg
white Easter
Related terms: word: paschal
word: Ash Wednesday
word: Good Friday
english: completely unrelated
translation: completely unrelated
word: High Easter
word: Holy Saturday
word: Holy Week
word: Lent
word: Maundy Thursday
word: Palm Sunday
word: Pasch
word: Pascha
word: Passion Sunday
word: Passover