# holiday

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ/ · frequency rank #2,207

## Definitions
1. A day on which a religious event or secular celebration is traditionally observed.
2. A day declared free from work by the state or government.
3. A period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel; often plural.
4. A period during which pupils do not attend their school; often plural; rarely used for students at university (usually: vacation).
5. 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.

## Etymology
From Middle English halyday, holyday, halidei, haliȝdei, from Old English hāliġdæġ (“holy day, Sabbath”), equivalent to holy + day. Compare West Frisian hjeldei (“holiday”), Danish helligdag (“holiday”), Norwegian helligdag (“holiday”), Swedish helgdag (“holiday, feast”).

## Easily confused with
- **holidays** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holiday-vs-holidays)
- **Holliday** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holiday-vs-holliday)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hholiday`, `hloiday`, `hoilday`, `holdiay`, `holiady`, `holidayy`, `holidday`, `holidya`, `ohliday`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/holiday