Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

easter

/ˈistəɹ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.12 in modern English

Syllables
Eas-ter
IPA
/ˈistəɹ/
6
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Eastertide (“the period from Easter to Whitsun”).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Usually preceded by an inflection of make: the act of receiving the Eucharist during Easter.

Countable; Dated; Uncountable

noun

Ellipsis of Easter term.

British usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara, celebrated at the vernal equinox or within the month of April; Eostre, Ostara.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The Jewish Passover.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

name

A surname.

verb

To celebrate Easter.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-der. Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ Proto-West Germanic *Austrā Old English Ēastre Old English ēastre Middle English ester English Easter 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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ester, ēastre, *Austrā, *Austrǭ, *h₂ews-, *wósr̥

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈistəɹ/
  • British English: /ˈiːstə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Easters (plural) Easters (present, singular) Eastering (participle, present) Eastered (participle, past) Eastered (past) more easter (comparative) most easter (superlative)

Derived Forms

Easterfest Eastermonth Eastertide Eastertime Eastery easterly

Phrases

Christmas and Easter Christian Easter basket Easter bilby Easter break Easter Bunny Easter Rabbit Easter cactus Easter daisy

Frequently Paired Words

paschal Ash Wednesday Good Friday High Easter Holy Saturday Holy Week Lent Maundy Thursday

Synonyms

Easter Day Easter Sunday east wind eastwind easterly East

Rhymes With

meester dniester feaster leister treaster teaster keister quaestor

Questions

How do you pronounce easter?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈistəɹ/.
What does easter mean?
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.
Where does easter come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce easter

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “easter”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈistəɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “easter”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “easter” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.