What does feriae mean?
Feriae were the festival and holiday days of the ancient Roman calendar — days formally set apart for religious observance rather than ordinary business. The word comes straight from Latin, where feriae denoted both grand public celebrations, such as the Saturnalia, and smaller observances tied to households, temples, or particular gods. On many feriae, courts did not sit and assemblies did not meet, giving these days something close to the character of modern public holidays. English adopted the term as a learned plural, used almost exclusively by historians of Rome and by scholars of the liturgical calendar, where a related form, "feria," came to mean an ordinary weekday without a feast. Because it survives mainly in specialist writing, feriae carries a distinctly formal, scholarly tone; a reader who reaches for it is usually signalling classical learning rather than speaking casually.
nounIn ancient Rome, feriae were days set apart for religious observance and public festivals, on which legal business was suspended. In modern English the term is used chiefly in historical, classical, or ecclesiastical contexts to denote such holy days or festivals.
- Days of religious festival or holiday in ancient Rome, on which public and often private business was suspended.
- More generally, holidays or festival days, especially in ecclesiastical or scholarly writing.
"During the feriae of Saturnalia, Roman courts closed and social hierarchies were briefly overturned."
"The Roman calendar marked numerous feriae, ranging from great state festivals to quiet domestic observances."
"Scholars still debate how ordinary citizens experienced the various feriae scattered through the Republican year."
Feriae is already a Latin plural and is used only in that form in English; the singular, "feria," has a distinct later sense of an ordinary weekday in the Christian calendar.
"Several feriae fell within the month of April in the Roman calendar."
The Romans had holidays so official that holding court on one could itself be a legal problem — they called them feriae.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of feriae
Feriae comes directly from Latin feriae, meaning festival days or holidays, a plural noun in the original language. The same Latin word gave rise to the singular "feria" and the adjective "ferial," which entered English through ecclesiastical use to describe weekdays without a feast. Romance languages preserve the word prominently, as in Spanish feria, meaning fair or holiday, reflecting its long continuity from Roman religious calendars into modern speech.
Related word forms
How feriae is actually used
"Feriae" is a Latin plural borrowed directly into scholarly English; it is treated as a plural in English ("the feriae were observed...") and is confined largely to classical history, liturgy, and academic prose. It would sound out of place in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with feriae
"Feria" is the singular form and today usually refers to a weekday in the Christian calendar on which no feast falls, while "feriae" is the plural and typically refers to the Roman public holidays.