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Glite Dictionary
🏛️ Gaelic assembly 🎶 Music and dance event
feis

feis

9.9
A public gathering in old Ireland to trade, settle disputes, or celebrate
  • noun
  • /feɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : feis
  • In ancient Ireland, a feis was held to settle disputes and celebrate the harvest.

Examples

  • Merchants traveled from distant villages to attend the annual feis and exchange goods.

  • The king called a grand feis where poets and musicians performed for the court.

  • The feis is amazing.

  • What a great feis!

  • In ancient Ireland, a feis was held to settle disputes and celebrate the harvest.

  • The king called a grand feis where poets and musicians performed for the court.

  • Merchants traveled from distant villages to attend the annual feis and exchange goods.

Synonyms

fest
vsfeis
  • Informal
108 3.1

A public party with music, food, and events

includes wider civic functions like trade and legal business beyond mere celebration
fete
vsfeis
2 6.5

A public event with music, games, and food to raise money

serves civic and sometimes legal or trade purposes rather than only entertainment
Highland Games
vsfeis
  • UK
1 6.0

Traditional Scottish sports and music events with heavy log throwing and dancing

serves wider civic roles including trade and legal matters as well as celebration
ceilidh
vsfeis
  • UK
1 9.9

A lively social event with Scottish or Irish folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling

is a historical civic assembly used for trade legal matters as well as celebration
festa
vsfeis
7.6

A public celebration with music, dancing, and special food

focuses on civic assembly functions such as trade and legal matters besides celebration

Surface Forms

feis singular
feiseanna plural

Etymology

Feis comes from the Irish word féis, which means 'festival' or 'feast' and was used for public gatherings long ago. So a feis was a meeting for trade, law, storytelling and celebration.