passover
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a Jewish festival that lasts seven or eight days, celebrating the escape of the Israelites from Egypt.
the Jewish festival of Pesach, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt; it is marked by the avoidance of leavened bread and the ritual Seder meal.
Simple“Our family gathers every year for a special dinner on the first night of Passover.”
In context“Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, during which observant families remove all leavened products from their homes.”
UsageUsually capitalized as a proper noun.
Synonymspesach - 02 C1 Advanced
the traditional meal or the lamb eaten during the first night of the holiday.
the Paschal lamb sacrificed or consumed during the festival, or by extension, the Seder meal itself.
Simple“They prepared the traditional foods required for the Passover.”
In context“The theological significance of the Passover extends beyond the meal to the symbolic act of sacrifice described in the Torah.”
UsageOften used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the specific sacrificial lamb or meal.
Synonymsseder
Deverbal from pass over. Coined by William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536), the first translator of the Bible into modern English, as a calque of Hebrew פֶּסַח (pésakh).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.