Easter
4 synonyms for Easter, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Name — The Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, held in spring.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use Easter
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Easter Sunday
Easter eggs
happy Easter
Etymology
From Old English ēastre, likely tied to Ēastre, a proposed Anglo-Saxon goddess associated with spring and dawn — despite a popular myth, it is not related to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar.
Full origin of Easter →Frequently asked questions
What does “Easter” mean?
The word “Easter” means the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, held in spring. In plain terms, the spring holiday marking the resurrection of Jesus in Christian tradition.
How do you pronounce “Easter”?
“Easter” is pronounced EES-tuh (/ˈistəɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “Easter” in a sentence?
Here is “Easter” used in a sentence: “We always visit family at Easter.”
What part of speech is “Easter”?
“Easter” is a name.
Where does the word “Easter” come from?
The word “Easter” comes from Old English. From Old English ēastre, likely tied to Ēastre, a proposed Anglo-Saxon goddess associated with spring and dawn — despite a popular myth, it is not related to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar.
Is “Easter” a common word?
“Easter” is a fairly common word in modern English.
Why is Easter on a different date each year?
Easter is a movable feast, meaning its date shifts from year to year. It falls in spring and is calculated in relation to the spring full moon rather than fixed to a single calendar date, so it changes annually.
Is Easter always capitalized?
Yes. Easter is a proper noun naming the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, so it is always written with a capital E, as are related terms like Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
What is the difference between Easter and Passover?
Easter is the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, held in spring. Passover is a separate Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' escape from Egypt, and although the two occur around the same time of year, they mark different events in different faiths.
