Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, or of the nature of a feast or festival; festive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to or befitting a feast or festival; hence, joyous; gay; jubilant: as, a, festal air or look.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
festive , relating to afestival orfeast
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective offering fun and gaiety
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The priest enters, clad in festal robes, a type of the heavenly bride going to her divine nuptials (this very common Introit originated in the Greek liturgy).
A Little Rock'n'Roll with our Elevenses John 2008
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The two released Shala men, clad in festal attire that had been brought for the purpose, and already fully armed, ran about madly embracing all their friends.
High Albania Mary Edith 1909
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For me, for me, in festal halls it shall kindle o'er thy face!
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Even from the island they could perceive that everything known as festal pleasure was rife in Alexandria, and bore along in its mad revelry the court and the citizens.
Cleopatra — Volume 08 Georg Ebers 1867
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Even from the island they could perceive that everything known as festal pleasure was rife in Alexandria, and bore along in its mad revelry the court and the citizens.
Cleopatra — Volume 08 Georg Ebers 1867
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Even from the island they could perceive that everything known as festal pleasure was rife in Alexandria, and bore along in its mad revelry the court and the citizens.
Complete Project Gutenberg Georg Ebers Works Georg Ebers 1867
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Even from the island they could perceive that everything known as festal pleasure was rife in Alexandria, and bore along in its mad revelry the court and the citizens.
Cleopatra — Volume 08 Georg Ebers 1867
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Even from the island they could perceive that everything known as festal pleasure was rife in Alexandria, and bore along in its mad revelry the court and the citizens.
Cleopatra — Complete Georg Ebers 1867
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The hospital stands close adjacent to the town of Greenwich, which will always retain a kind of festal aspect in my memory, in consequence of my having first become acquainted with it on Easter Monday.
Our Old Home A Series of English Sketches A Series of English Sketches Nathaniel Hawthorne 1834
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All servile work was forbidden on this day holy to the Lord; and all over the house, and in the face of all the family, I observed a kind of festal air.
bilby commented on the word festal
This festal day, two thousand times returning,
Should light fresh fires on all the altar-sods.
His natal day! we should set incense burning,
And call—if gods there were—upon the gods.
We, his good friends, right joyous should demean us,
Like Horace on the birthday of Mæcenas.
- George Meason Whicher, 'For the Eighth of December'.
September 23, 2009