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festivity|fɛˈstɪvɪtɪ|
Forms: 4–6 festivite, (5 festyvyte, 6 feastivitie), 7 festivitie, 7– festivity.
[a. OF. festivité, ad. L. festīvitāt-em, f. festīvus festive.]
1.
†a. Festive quality, condition, or nature; fitness for occasions of rejoicing; mirthfulness, cheerful urbanity; also (of writing, etc.), agreeable elegance.
1613R. C. Table Alph. (ed. 3), Festiuitie, mirth, pleasantnesse. 1622S. Ward Life of Faith in Death (1627) 108 Soules..adorned with white Robes, that is..glorified with perfect righteousnesse, puritie..and festiuitie. 1657W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life of Peiresc II. 274 Your..Urbanity and pleasant jesting has not bin by me answered and recompensed with like festivity. a1661Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 517 The festivity of his poems. 1681H. More Expos. Dan. 286 The contrivance of the Prophetick Parable is of admirable elegancy and festivity.
b. Rejoicing, mirth, gaiety, such as befits a feast.
1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) II. 139 The vintage is a time of general festivity. 1801Southey Thalaba vi. xxiv, The music of festivity. 1832G. Downes Lett. Cont. Countries 240 The old man..was honoured with a sort of triumph, succeeded by general festivity. 1884Rita Vivienne v. iii, There were laughter and mirth and festivity in the air.
2. A festive celebration, an occasion of feasting or rejoicing. In pl. Festive proceedings.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 119 It byfel in a festivite þat..o knyght offred nouȝt. 1436Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 197 At his grete festivite Kynges and yerles..were there presente. 1579Fulke Refut. Rastel 798 That our feastiuitie may bee made in remembraunce of the reste. 1624Gataker Transubst. 94 In his Easter-day Sermon turning his Speech to the Festivity itselfe. 1678South Serm. II. x. 356 There happening a great and solemn festivity..he [David] condescends,..to beg of a rich..man some small repast. 1679Burnet Hist. Ref. iii. 244 The King..ordered..the office for his [Becket's] festivity to be dasht out of all Breviaries. 1837Dickens Pickw. ii, Tupman again expressed an earnest wish to be present at the festivity. 1848Lytton Harold vi. i, Several persons bustling into London to share in the festivities of the day. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 45 The Great Hall, serving..as a banqueting-room for the oft-recurring festivities. |