Presidents' Day

3 2.8

A United States public holiday on the third Monday in February honoring Washington and Lincoln

noun
/ˈprɛzɪdənts deɪ/

: Día de los Presidentes

That's because Presidents' Day is a big day for retailers and for bargain hunters.
Presidents' Day weekend
Happy Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day sale

Examples

Happy Presidents' Day!

Norbit (2007)
There isn't any school today, it's Presidents' Day.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
-Presidents' Day.

First Dog (2010)
All the schools are closed for Presidents' Day.
Both the bond and stock markets are closed for the Presidents' Day holiday.

Synonyms

Washington's Birthday

vsPresidents' Day

1 2.9

A United States holiday that honors the birth of George Washington

honors both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln rather than only Washington

Surface Forms

Presidents' Day singular

Presidents' Days plural

Morphology

Presidents' + day

The phrase 'Presidents' Day' is compositionally built from the possessive plural 'Presidents'' and 'day', so a learner who knows 'president' and 'day' can infer it denotes a day related to presidents (i.e., a day honoring presidents). Specific cultural details (which presidents are emphasized and the exact date) require extra background knowledge, but the basic meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The holiday Presidents' Day began as George Washington's birthday and later also remembered Abraham Lincoln and other leaders. It is now on the third Monday in February, so the name means 'a day to honor presidents'.