Meaning and Origin
What does the name Easter mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from California, U.S. says the name Easter means "New life, greenshoot".
- An annual church festival commemorating Christ's resurrection, and occurring on Sunday, the second day after Good Friday. It corresponds to the pascha or passover of the Jews, and most nations still give it this name under the various forms of pascha pasque pâque, or pask.
- The day on which the festival is observed; Easter day."Sundays by thee more glorious break, An Easter day in every week." [Keble.]
Note: ☞ Easter is used either adjectively or as the first element of a compound; as, Easter day or Easter-day, Easter Sunday, Easter week, Easter gifts, Easter eggs.
Note: ☞ Easter day, on which the rest of the movable feasts depend, is always the first Sunday after the fourteenth day of the calendar moon which (fourteenth day) falls on, or next after, the 21st of March, according to the rules laid down for the construction of the calendar; so that if the fourteenth day happen on a Sunday, Easter day is the Sunday after.
Etymology: AS. eáster eástran, paschal feast, Easter; akin to G. ostern; fr. AS. Eástre, a goddess of light or spring, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated in April; whence this month was called in AS. Eástermōnað. From the root of E. east. See East
- A wind from the east
- A Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox
From Middle English Ester,Eestour, from Old English ēastre (“Easter”), cognate to Old High German ōstarūn, and related to Ēostre, Ēastre, a goddess and her festival that was celebrated at the vernal equinox, from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsōs, as well as to east. Cognate with German Low German Oostern (“Easter”), German Ostern and German Osterfest (“Easter”).
- (Christianity) A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Christ; the first Sunday (and Monday) following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, ranging from March 22 to April 25.
- We spent each of the past five together as a family.
- Eastertide
- (obsolete) The Jewish Passover.
- (paganism) A festival held in honour of the goddess Eostre or Ostara, celebrated at the spring equinox or within the month of April, and also called Ostara or Eostre.
- Easter term.