What does feast mean?
A feast is, at its most literal, a large and elaborate meal prepared to mark a special occasion — a wedding, a holiday, a coronation — typically shared by many people and marked by abundance rather than mere sustenance. The word also names religious festivals themselves, so that Christians speak of a saint's feast day, and it extends figuratively to anything that delights the senses or mind in generous measure: a landscape can be a feast for the eyes, a novel a feast for the imagination. Connotations are warmly celebratory, suggesting plenty, hospitality, and shared joy. English inherits the word from Old French 'feste', ultimately from Latin 'festum', meaning a festival or holiday — making 'feast' and 'festival' close cousins. Both noun and verb forms are current: one feasts on roast meats at a banquet, or figuratively feasts on art, music, or gossip. Few words capture so compactly the human instinct to mark what matters with abundance.
A large, elaborate meal prepared for a celebration or special occasion; also a religious festival, or figuratively, any abundant source of delight.
"The king hosted a feast to honor the returning explorers."
Often modified by occasion ('wedding feast', 'harvest feast'); the figurative sense usually appears in the pattern 'a feast for the eyes/ears/senses'.
To eat and drink sumptuously, especially at a celebration; or (with 'on') to take great delight or abundant nourishment in something.
"They feasted on fresh lobster and cold white wine as the sun set over the harbor."
Regular pluralization. The plural is used both for multiple celebratory meals and for multiple religious festivals ('the great feasts of the church year').
"Medieval banquets were lavish feasts lasting late into the night."
Feast and festival share the very same Latin root — every festival is, at heart, a feast with better decorations.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of feast
'Feast' entered Middle English from Old French 'feste', which derived from Latin 'festum', meaning a festival or holiday, from 'festus' (joyous, festive). The same Latin root gave English 'festival', 'festive', and, via Spanish, 'fiesta'. Cognates appear throughout the Romance languages, such as Italian 'festa'. The word has carried its dual sense of celebratory eating and religious observance since antiquity, reflecting how communal meals and sacred days were historically intertwined.
Related word forms
How feast is actually used
As a noun, 'feast' is neutral-to-formal in register; it carries warm, celebratory connotations and appears often in religious and historical contexts. As a verb ('to feast on'), it is somewhat literary but common in food writing. The figurative use ('a feast for the senses') is well established and idiomatic.
Easily confused with feast
A feat is a noteworthy accomplishment requiring skill or courage, while a feast is an elaborate meal or abundance of something.
A fast is a period of abstaining from food — effectively the opposite of a feast.