martinmas
Definition
Noun: 1. A Christian feast day: Martinmas is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours, celebrated on November 11th. 2. A Scottish quarter day: In Scotland, Martinmas is one of the four traditional quarter days of the year, marking a date for the payment of rents and the hiring of servants.
Examples of Usage
- As a feast day:
- The village church held a special service for Martinmas.
- Traditions for Martinmas often include a feast with roast goose.
- As a quarter day:
- The farmer's tenancy agreement stated that rent was due at Martinmas.
- In historical Scotland, many laborers would seek new employment at Martinmas.
Advanced Usage
- "At Martinmas": Used to indicate the time period around this date.
- The markets were always busy at Martinmas.
- "Martinmas summer": An archaic term referring to a period of warm, sunny weather in early November, similar to an Indian summer.
- They enjoyed a brief Martinmas summer before the winter frosts set in.
Variants and Related Words
- St. Martin's Day: Another name for Martinmas.
- Martinmass (archaic): An older spelling variant.
- Quarter day: The general category to which Martinmas belongs in Scottish law and tradition. The other three are Candlemas (Feb 2), Whitsunday (May 15), and Lammas (Aug 1).
Synonyms
- Feast of Saint Martin
- St. Martin's Day
Related Phrases
- Martinmas beef: Historically, cattle slaughtered and salted at this time for winter provisions.
- The family relied on Martinmas beef to last through the cold months.
Noun
-
the feast of Saint Martin; a quarter day in Scotland
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