'Movable feast' definitions:

Definition of 'movable feast'

(from WordNet)
noun
A religious holiday that falls on different dates in different years [syn: movable feast, moveable feast]

Definition of 'Movable feast'

From: GCIDE
  • Movable \Mov"a*ble\, a. [Cf. OF. movable. See Move.]
  • 1. Capable of being moved, lifted, carried, drawn, turned, or conveyed, or in any way made to change place or posture; susceptible of motion; not fixed or stationary; as, a movable steam engine. [Also spelled moveable.]
  • Syn: transferable, transferrable, transportable. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Changing from one time to another; as, movable feasts, i. e., church festivals, the date of which varies from year to year. [1913 Webster]
  • Movable letter (Heb. Gram.), a letter that is pronounced, as opposed to one that is quiescent.
  • Movable feast (Ecclesiastical), a holy day that changes date, depending on the lunar cycle. An example of such a day is Easter. [1913 Webster +PJC]

Definition of 'movable feast'

From: GCIDE
  • Feast \Feast\ (f[=e]st), n. [OE. feste festival, holiday, feast, OF. feste festival, F. f[^e]te, fr. L. festum, pl. festa, fr. festus joyful, festal; of uncertain origin. Cf. Fair, n., Festal, F[^e]te.]
  • 1. A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary. [1913 Webster]
  • The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. --Ex. xiii. 6. [1913 Webster]
  • Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. --Luke ii. 41. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: An Ecclesiastical feast is called a immovable feast when it always occurs on the same day of the year; otherwise it is called a movable feast. Easter is a notable movable feast. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A festive or joyous meal; a grand, ceremonious, or sumptuous entertainment, of which many guests partake; a banquet characterized by tempting variety and abundance of food. [1913 Webster]
  • Enough is as good as a feast. --Old Proverb. [1913 Webster]
  • Belshazzar the King made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. --Dan. v. 1. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. That which is partaken of, or shared in, with delight; something highly agreeable; entertainment. [1913 Webster]
  • The feast of reason, and the flow of soul. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
  • Feast day, a holiday; a day set as a solemn commemorative festival.
  • Syn: Entertainment; regale; banquet; treat; carousal; festivity; festival.
  • Usage: Feast, Banquet, Festival, Carousal. A feast sets before us viands superior in quantity, variety, and abundance; a banquet is a luxurious feast; a festival is the joyful celebration by good cheer of some agreeable event. Carousal is unrestrained indulgence in frolic and drink. [1913 Webster]