Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

holiday

/ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.66 in modern English

Syllables
hol-i-day
IPA
/ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A day on which a religious event or secular celebration is traditionally observed.

noun

A day declared free from work by the state or government.

noun

A period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel; often plural.

Australian usage; British usage

noun

A period during which pupils do not attend their school; often plural; rarely used for students at university (usually: vacation).

Australian usage; British usage

noun

A period during which, by agreement, the usual payments are not made.

noun

A gap in coverage, e.g. of paint on a surface, or sonar imagery.

verb

To take a period of time away from work or study.

British usage; Intransitive verb

verb

To spend a period of time in recreational travel.

British usage; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos Proto-Germanic *hailaz Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-Germanic *hailagaz Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ-? Proto-Germanic *dagaz Proto-Germanic *hailagadagaz Old English hāliġdæġ Middle English halyday English holiday From Middle English halyday, holyday, halidei, haliȝdei, from Old English hāliġdæġ (“holy day, Sabbath”), equivalent to holy + day. Compare West Frisian hjeldei (“holiday”), Danish helligdag (“holiday”), Norwegian helligdag (“holiday”), Swedish helgdag (“holiday, feast”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: halyday, hāliġdæġ

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/
  • British English: /ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

holidays (plural) holyday (alternative) holidays (present, singular) holidaying (participle, present) holidayed (participle, past) holidayed (past) Holliday (alternative)

Derived Forms

alcoholiday antiholiday holidate Holiday holidayer holidayfic holidayism holidaymaker holidaymaking holigay nonholiday postholiday

Phrases

all holiday bank holiday blindman's holiday blind man's holiday busman's holiday drug holiday enjoy your holiday go on holiday

Frequently Paired Words

hallow Halloween whole Halliday

Synonyms

holy day feast day festival bank holiday national holiday day off off day leave time off vacation annual leave break

Rhymes With

holladay golladay

Questions

How do you pronounce holiday?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/.
What does holiday mean?
A day on which a religious event or secular celebration is traditionally observed.
Where does holiday come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce holiday

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