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Glite Dictionary
Feast of Weeks

Feast of Weeks

7.6
A Jewish holiday called Shavuot that remembers Moses receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai
  • noun
translation icon : Fiesta de las Semanas
  • Every year, Jewish families gather to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with prayers and festive meals.

Examples

  • The Feast of Weeks marks the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

  • The Feast of Weeks is celebrated by Jews around the world.

  • Many people bring offerings of the first fruits to the synagogue during the Feast of Weeks.

  • During the Feast of Weeks, families gather for special meals.

  • Many families gather to celebrate the Feast of Weeks by reading the Torah and enjoying traditional foods.

  • The Feast of Weeks is recognized as a time for giving thanks for the harvest and the law received at Sinai.

  • During the Feast of Weeks, Jewish communities often hold all-night study sessions to honor the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Synonyms

Shavuot
vsFeast of Weeks
1 9.9

A Jewish holiday that celebrates God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai

is the English descriptive name rather than the original term
Pentecost
vsFeast of Weeks
1 7.7

A Jewish holy day in early summer when people remember God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses

uses the descriptive English name linked to its timing and origin
Shavuoth
vsFeast of Weeks
  • UK
1 9.9

A Jewish holiday that remembers when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai

uses the standard English descriptive name instead of that spelling
Shavous
vsFeast of Weeks
  • UK
9.9

A Jewish holiday that remembers Moses receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai

uses the formal religious naming rather than casual holiday wording
Shabuoth
vsFeast of Weeks
9.9

A Jewish festival in late spring that remembers Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai

focuses on the sacred day aspect rather than a festival celebration

Surface Forms

Feast of Weeks singular
Feast of Weeks plural
Shavuot singular

Morphology

feast + of + week

The phrase is compositionally clear in that 'feast' + 'of' + 'weeks' signals a festival connected to a period of weeks, so a learner who knows the words will likely infer it is a holiday or celebration tied to weeks. However, the precise cultural and religious sense (that it is the Jewish holy day Shavuot commemorating receiving the Ten Commandments) is not derivable from the parts alone, so the phrase is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Feast of Weeks is named for counting seven weeks after Passover; Weeks here means those weeks when people brought 'first fruits' to the temple and remembered Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. So the holiday marks both the harvest and the 'giving of the Ten Commandments'.