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holiday

Etymology and origin of the English word holiday

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 950
From
Old English hāliġdæġ via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Old English (hāliġdæġ)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈhɒl.ə.deɪ/, US /ˈhɑː.lə.deɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English haliday,[2][3] inherited from Old English hāliġdæġ (“holy day, Christian festival, Sabbath”),[2][3][4] a compound of hāliġ (“holy”) and dæġ (“day”).[2][3][5] Old English also had the phrase hālig dæg, written separately, which became Middle English holy day;[3][4] it developed into holiday in the late 14th century and replaced haliday.[3] It is related to holy, day and holy day.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A consecrated day, a religious festival: about 950 in the Lindisfarne Gospels, according to Barnhart and the OED;[3][6] as a surname, Halidai, from the late 12th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century it meant both a religious festival and a day free from work for recreation,[2][6] and the pronunciation and sense diverged in the 16th century, leaving holiday and holy day.[2][3] The meaning was extended to “an occasion of joy and gaiety”.[2] As an adjective, “used on a holiday”, it is from the mid-15th century.[2][6] In British English the holidays are a period away from school or work, a vacation;[7][8] happy holidays is from the mid-19th century, of summer vacation from school, and a Christmas greeting by 1937, in American cigarette advertisements.[2] The verb, “to spend a holiday”, is from 1869.[2][9]

Timeline

  • c. 950 – a religious festival.[3][6]
  • before 1300 – a day off work.[6]
  • mid-15th century – adjective.[2]
  • 16th century – holiday and holy day diverge.[2][3]
  • 1869 – verb.[2]
  • 1937 – happy holidays at Christmas.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A day on which custom or law halts general business to celebrate or commemorate an event.
  2. A religious feast day; a holy day.
  3. A day free from work; a day off.
  4. (chiefly British) A vacation.

Verb

  1. (chiefly British) To spend a holiday.

Word family

  • holidayer
  • preholiday
  • half-holiday
  • holidaymaker
  • bank holiday
  • busman's holiday
  • legal holiday
  • national holiday

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster

Related etymologies

  • fat · also from Old English
  • tree · also from Old English
  • glass · also from Old English
  • fell · also from Old English
  • freedom · also from Old English
  • queen · also from Old English
  • evening · also from Old English
  • therefore · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Holiday.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/holiday. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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