feast

[feest]

noun

1. any rich or abundant meal.

   The steak dinner was a feast.

2. a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests.

   a wedding feast.

3. something highly agreeable.

   The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.

4. a periodical celebration or time of celebration, usually of a religious nature, commemorating an event, person, etc..

   Every year, in September, the townspeople have a feast in honor of their patron saint.

verb (used without object)

1. to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.

2. to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or entertain with a feast.

feast

/ fiːst /

noun

1. a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people

2. a periodic religious celebration

3. something extremely pleasing or sumptuous

   a feast for the eyes

4. a festival or other event of variable date

verb

1. (intr)

   1. to eat a feast

   2. (usually foll by on) to enjoy the eating (of), as if feasting

      to feast on cakes

2. (tr) to give a feast to

3. to take great delight (in)

   to feast on beautiful paintings

4. (tr) to regale or delight

   to feast one's mind or one's eyes

Other Word Forms

• feaster noun
• feastless adjective
• outfeast verb (used with object)
• overfeast verb
• prefeast noun
• unfeasted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of feast¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English feste, from Old French, from Latin fēsta, neuter plural (reinterpteted as feminine singular noun in Vulgar Latin ) of fēstus “festal, festive,” equivalent to fēs- (akin to fair ² ) + -tus adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of feast¹

C13: from Old French feste , from Latin festa , neuter plural (later assumed to be feminine singular) of festus joyful; related to Latin fānum temple, fēriae festivals

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. feast one's eyes, to gaze with great joy, admiration, or relish.

   to feast one's eyes on the Grand Canyon.

Synonym Study

Feast, banquet imply large social events, with an abundance of food. A feast is a meal with a plenteous supply of food and drink for a large company: to provide a feast for all company employees. A banquet is an elaborate feast for a formal and ceremonious occasion: the main speaker at a banquet.

Example Sentences

Whilst bears are generally solitary, this one was heading to feast with others on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver from the Pacific to their origin lake to spawn.

From BBC

All of those sides - not just Brugge and Celtic - are capable of feasting on their frailties.

From BBC

Sichuan Alley, which opened its first outlet in New York last year, is inspired by "alley culture" characteristic of early 20th Century Chengdu – a warren of old streets where people mingled and feasted.

From BBC

"But the key is moderation and clinical supervision - this is not a licence for unlimited mango feasts."

From BBC

His July feast is an opportunity to take part in festive traditions Australia usually misses out on, he says.

From BBC

Related Words

• barbecue 
• dinner 
• festival 
• festivity 
• fiesta 
• gala 
• picnic 
• repast