Skip to main content
November 5

November 5

1 4.4
A day in Britain when people light bonfires and watch fireworks to remember the 1605 Gunpowder Plot
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : 5 de noviembre
  • November 5, 2012 at 1:45 AM EST

Examples

  • November 5, 2012 at 12:15 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012, at 1:02 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 4:53 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 12:09 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 6:34 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012, at 11:10 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 6:21 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 7:36 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • November 5, 2012 at 6:14 AM EST

    Blog text (22)
  • Every year, people gather to celebrate November 5 with fireworks and bonfires for Guy Fawkes Night.

Synonyms

Bonfire Night
vsNovember 5
  • UK
1 6.7

A yearly UK event on November 5 when people light bonfires and watch fireworks to remember the Gunpowder Plot

is the anniversary date rather than the event term
Guy Fawkes Night
vsNovember 5
  • UK
6.5

An annual British event on November 5 where people light fireworks and burn effigies

is the anniversary date rather than the celebration name
Guy Fawkes Day
vsNovember 5
  • UK
4.9

A British celebration on 5 November with fireworks and a bonfire where people burn a model of Guy Fawkes

is the anniversary date rather than the festival name

Surface Forms

November 5 singular

Morphology

November + five

The phrase is compositionally a calendar date — a B1 learner who knows 'November' and 'five' will understand it refers to the 5th of November. However, the specific cultural/historical meaning (Guy Fawkes Night, the Gunpowder Plot anniversary and its customs) is not derivable from the words themselves and requires cultural knowledge, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

November 5 comes from 1605, when people discovered the Gunpowder Plot, a plan to blow up the king and Parliament. People celebrated with bonfires and fireworks to show the plot had failed, so today November 5 is the yearly night of bonfires and fireworks, often called 'Guy Fawkes Night'.