St Valentine's Day
- noun
- /seɪnt ˈvælənˌtaɪnz deɪ/
:
Día de San Valentín
- Every year on St Valentine's Day, couples celebrate by exchanging cards and gifts.
Examples
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On St Valentine's Day, many couples exchange gifts.
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Every year on St Valentine's Day, people exchange cards and gifts with their loved ones.
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He received a secret note on St Valentine's Day and wondered who had sent it.
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The restaurant was fully booked for St Valentine's Day celebrations.
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I can't wait for St Valentine's Day!
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The florist was very busy the week leading up to St Valentine's Day due to the high demand for roses.
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Many people plan special dinners with their partners on St Valentine's Day.
Synonyms
79
1.0
A day on February 14 when people show love with cards, gifts, or flowers
1
1.4
A holiday on February 14 when people show love and give cards or gifts
1
1.0
A day each year when people celebrate love and give cards or gifts
Surface Forms
Morphology
St + Valentine's + day
The phrase literally composes as 'Saint Valentine’s day' — a day associated with (or belonging to) a person named Valentine — so a learner who knows 'St/Saint', 'Valentine' as a name, and 'day' can infer it's a day linked to that person. However, the culturally specific sense (a romantic celebration on February 14th marked by cards, flowers, etc.) is conventional cultural knowledge rather than directly derivable from the parts, so full meaning requires prior exposure.
Etymology
The holiday St Valentine's Day may come from a priest named Saint Valentine who, long ago in Rome, secretly married young couples and sometimes gave them notes of love. Because of his acts, people began to send cards and small gifts on his day, so today it means 'a day for love and gifts'.