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Glite Dictionary
movable feast

movable feast

7.6
A religious holiday whose date changes each year
  • noun
  • /ˈmuːvəbl fiːst/
translation icon : fiesta móvil
  • The most public and publicized celebration occurs at the beginning of the rainy season: the movable feast of Corpus Christi.

Examples

  • Many families celebrate Thanksgiving as a movable feast, gathering on different days each year.

  • 13 Totonacapan's ancient calendar round began on May 20 of the Christian calendar year, and the movable feast of Corpus Christi fell closest to this date.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Easter is a movable feast that varies each year based on the lunar calendar.

  • The movable feast of Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.

Synonyms

moveable feast
vsmovable feast
  • UK
1 7.8

A religious holiday that changes date each year

has identical meaning but uses the modern spelling without the extra e

Surface Forms

movable feast singular
movable feasts plural

Morphology

movable + feast

The phrase combines 'movable' (capable of being moved) and 'feast' (a celebration), so a learner can plausibly infer it refers to a feast that can be moved — specifically its date. However, applying 'movable' to calendar dates is a somewhat extended/metaphorical use and the term is somewhat specialized (religious/calendar usage), so a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably derive the precise meaning without exposure.

Etymology

Movable feast The noun movable feast comes from the idea of a feast that is movable on the calendar: some religious holidays, like Easter, are tied to the moon or to church rules and fall on different dates each year. So, it means 'a holiday whose date changes'.