different between holiday vs vacation

English

Etymology

From Middle English halyday, holyday, halidei, hali?dei, from Old English h?li?dæ? (“holy day, Sabbath”), equivalent to holy +? day. Compare West Frisian hjeldei (“holiday”), Danish helligdag (“holiday”), Norwegian helligdag (“holiday”), Swedish helgdag (“holiday, feast”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h?l?de?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h?l??de?/

Noun

holiday (plural holidays)

1. A day on which a festival, religious event, or national celebration is traditionally observed.

   Synonyms: feast day, holy day

2. A day declared free from work by the state or government.

   Synonyms: (UK) bank holiday, national holiday

3. (chiefly Britain, Australia) A period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel; often plural.

   Synonyms: leave, time off, (US) vacation; see also Thesaurus:vacation
4. (chiefly Britain, Australia) A period during which pupils do not attend their school; often plural; rarely used for students at university (usually: vacation).

   Synonym: (US) vacation

5. (finance) A period during which, by agreement, the usual payments are not made.

6. A gap in coverage, e.g. of paint on a surface, or sonar imagery.

   Synonym: lacuna

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

holiday (third-person singular simple present holidays, present participle holidaying, simple past and past participle holidayed) (chiefly Britain)

1. To take a period of time away from work or study.
2. (Britain) To spend a period of time for travel.

Translations

References

Anagrams

• hyaloid, hyoidal

Middle English

Noun

holiday

1. Alternative form of halyday

English

Etymology

From Middle English vacation, vacacion, vacacioun, from Anglo-Norman vacacioun, from Old French vacacion, vacation, from Latin vac?ti?.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /v??ke??(?)n/, /ve??ke??(?)n/
• (US) enPR: v?-k?'sh?n, IPA^(key): /ve??ke???n/, /v??ke??(?)n/
• Rhymes: -e???n, -e??n
• Hyphenation: va?ca?tion

Noun

vacation (countable and uncountable, plural vacations)

1. Freedom from some business or activity. [from 14th c.]
2. (obsolete) Free time given over to a specific purpose; occupation, activity. [15th-17th c.]
3. A period during which official activity or business is formally suspended; an official holiday from university, law courts etc. [from 15th c.]
4. (Canada, US) A holiday; a stretch of leisure time away from work or duty and devoted to rest or pleasure. [from 19th c.]
5. The act of vacating something; moving out. [from 19th c.]

6. (US, law) The act of making legally void.

Synonyms

• (freedom from some activity): holiday (UK)
• (free time given over to a specific purpose): annulment, revocation
• (a stretch of leisure time away from work): holiday (UK); see also Thesaurus:vacation
• (act of vacating something): departure, moveout

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

vacation (third-person singular simple present vacations, present participle vacationing, simple past and past participle vacationed)

1. (intransitive) To spend or take a vacation.

   This year, we’re vacationing in Mexico.

Synonyms

• (Britain) go on holiday
• go on vacation
• holiday

Translations

Related terms

• vacate

Anagrams

• Octavian

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.ka.sj??/

Noun

vacation f (plural vacations)

1. (law) session

Further reading

• “vacation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).