celebrate
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsɛl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/
ipa: /ˈsɛl.ə.bɹeɪt/
ipa: /ˈsɛl.ə.bɹeɪt/
ipa: /ˈsel.ə.bɹæɪt/
Forms: form: celebrates
form: celebrating
form: celebrated
form: celebrated
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: celebrate
form: celebrate
form: celebrated
form: celebrate
form: celebratest
form: celebrated
form: celebratedst
form: celebrates
form: celebrateth
form: celebrated
form: celebrate
form: celebrated
form: celebrate
form: celebrated
form: celebrate
form: -
form: celebrating
form: celebrated
Etymology: From Middle English celebraten, from celebrat(e) (“celebrated”, also used as the past participle of celebraten) + -en, borrowed from Latin celebrātus, perfect passive participle of celebrō (“frequent, go to in great numbers, celebrate, honor, praise”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from celeber (“frequented, populous”). Displaced native Old English fæġnian.
Senses: examples: text: to celebrate the name of the Most High
text: To celebrate the centenary next month of the opening of the first section (Forest Gate to Tilbury) of the former London, Tilbury & Southend Railway, the Stephenson Locomotive Society is organising a special rail tour over that route and other lesser-known L.T.S.R. lines.
ref: 1954 March, “Notes and News: S.L.S. Tour of Tilbury Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 215:
text: Okay, that is simply not true. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need to have an Olympics. The whole reason we do this is to find out who is better than everyone else, so that we can make them stand higher than the other people who are not as good as them, because the point of the games is not to celebrate equality. It is to celebrate individuals’ excellence. So let us all settle in for two incredible weeks of celebrating the fittest, the bravest, the most beautiful and of course, the drunkest of us all. “Did somebody say ‘party’?”
ref: 2016 August 7, “Journalism”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 20, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
synonyms: fete
glosses: To extol or honour in a solemn manner.
examples: text: to celebrate a birthday
text: Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli.
ref: 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
synonyms: observe
keep
glosses: To honour by rites, by ceremonies of joy and respect, or by refraining from ordinary business; to observe duly.
examples: text: I was promoted today at work—let’s celebrate!
text: As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.
ref: 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: To engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event.
examples: text: to celebrate a marriage
synonyms: solemnize
glosses: To perform or participate in, as a sacrament or solemn rite; to perform with appropriate rites.
Derived terms: celebratable
celebrating Palm Sunday
concelebrate
overcelebrate
over-celebrate
precelebrate
recelebrate
Related terms: celebrant
celebrated
celebration
celebrative
celebrator
celebratory
celebrity