LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

fēriae

fēriae f pl (genitive fēriārum)
Classical[ˈfeː.ri.ae̯]Ecclesiastical[ˈfɛː.ri.e]

Meaning

  1. a holy day; a festival; a holiday
  2. a vacation
  3. figurativelyany occasion of rest, peace, or leisure

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Solemnia · Feriæ · Dies festi · Festa

Solemnia means festivals, so far as they are solemn or regularly returning institutions; feriæ, so far as they are days of rest and recreation; festa, or, in prose, dies festi, so far as they are days of rejoicing. (vi. 339.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominative—fēriae
genitive—fēriārum
dative—fēriīs
accusative—fēriās
ablative—fēriīs
vocative—fēriae

fērĭae, ārum (in the sing.: FERIA a feriendis victimis vocata, Paul. ex Fest. p. 85, 12 Müll.), f. for fes-iae, same root with festus,
I. days of rest, holidays, festivals (syn. justitium), a great number of which, both private and public, were kept by the Romans; the latter being either stativae, fixed, regularly recurring on certain days; or conceptivae, movable, settled every year anew; or imperativae, temporary, ordained by the consuls on account of some particular occurrence; or, lastly, the Nundinae, Macr. S. 1, 16; Varr. L. L. 6, § 13 Müll.; Cic. Leg. 2, 12, 29; 2, 22, 57; Plaut. Capt. 4, 1, 3 et saep.: feriae Domini, Vulg. Levit. 23, 2: feriae denicales, Latinae, novendiales, privatae, etc., v. sub h. vv.—
II. Transf., rest, peace, leisure: indutiae sunt belli feriae, Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 25, 2: praestare Hesperiae longas ferias, i. e. peace, Hor. C. 4, 5, 37.—Comically: venter gutturque resident esuriales ferias, keep hunger-holidays, i. e. fast, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 8: tuas possidebit mulier faxo ferias, shall fill, amuse your leisure, id. Ep. 3, 4, 37.—Prov.: sine ullis feriis, i. e. without rest, incessantly, Arn. 1, 9; cf.: feriis caret necessitas, necessity has no law, Pall. 1, 6, 7.—Sing. (eccl. Lat.): feria, a week-day, Tert. Jejun. 2.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *fēziās, nominative feminine plural of an adjective *fēzios, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s-yo-s, from *dʰéh₁s (“god, godhead, deity”), related to Latin fēstus (“festive”). Cognate with Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos, “divine”) and Oscan 𐌚𐌉𐌝𐌔𐌝𐌀𐌉𐌔 (fiísíais), 𐌚𐌉𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌉𐌔 (fiisiis), 𐌚𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌀𐌝𐌔 (fisiaís, dat.-abl. pl.). In classical Latin, rendered plural even for singular instances by the Latin treatment of most recurring calendrical days; singular usage is a development in Late Latin.

Descendants
  • Catalanfira
  • Englishferia
  • Frenchférié
  • GermanFerien
  • Italianferia
  • Italianfiera
  • Occitanfièira
  • Occitanfièra
  • Frenchfoirefrom Old French foire
  • Englishfairfrom Old French foire

In English words that came into English from fēriae

  • fairfēriae
  • ferialfēriālis
  • feriafēria
  • fettifēriae
  • feriefēriae

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesFeriaeFeriae holidays, were, generally speaking, days or seasons during which free-born Romans suspended their political transactions and their lawsuits, an…

Quick answers

What does fēriae mean in Latin?
fēriae, a noun, means “a holy day; a festival; a holiday”.
What is the genitive of fēriae?
The genitive singular is fēriārum. fēriae is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce fēriae?
In classical Latin, [ˈfeː.ri.ae̯]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfɛː.ri.e].
Which English words come from fēriae?
English words that go back to Latin fēriae include fair, fetti, ferie, feria and ferial.