holiday的词源

英文词源

holiday

holiday: [OE] A holiday was originally a ‘holy day’, a day set aside as a religious festival. The first signs of the word being used for a ‘day on which no work is done’ (originally because of its religious significance) appear in the 14th century.
=> holy

holiday (n.)

1500s, earlier haliday (c. 1200), from Old English haligdæg "holy day; Sabbath," from halig "holy" (see holy) + dæg "day" (see day); in 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of recreation," but pronunciation and sense perged 16c. As a verb meaning "to pass the holidays" by 1869. Happy holidays is from mid-19c., in British English, with reference to summer vacation from school. As a Christmastime greeting, by 1937, American English, in Camel cigarette ads.

中文词源

holiday（假日）：宗教中的“神圣的日子”

历史上的假日基本上都来自宗教节日。英语中表示“假日”的单词holiday其实就是由holy day（神圣的日子）组合而成。

holiday： ['hɒlɪdeɪ; -dɪ] n.假日，节日，休息日

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：holiday 词源，holiday 含义。

holiday：假期

来自古英语haligdaeg,神圣的日子，即holy day.其原义为宗教节日，安息日。后引申词义假期。比较festival.

holiday：假日，节日

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holiday 假日 节日

在现代英语用法中对于holiday和holy day(或holyday)我们总是加以区别的，前者泛指任何“假日”，“节日”，后者则特指“圣日”或“宗教节日”。但最早holiday仅指“宗教节日”，因为holiday就是holy day二词复合而成的。嗣后holiday的词义逐渐扩大，到了14世纪holiday也指一般休息日，直至最后其宗教色彩消失为止。只要我们考虑到许多节日起源于宗教活动这一点，我们对holiday的词义变化就不会感到奇怪了。

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