highday

English

Alternative forms

• high-day

Etymology

From Middle English heh dæi, from Old English hēah dæġ, equivalent to high +‎ day. Compare Dutch hoog dag, German hoher Tag.

Noun

highday (plural highdays)

1. A feast day, holiday, or festival; a time of pleasure.
   • 1904, Stanley J. Weyman, “XXI. The Castle of Vlaye”, in The Abbess of Vlaye:

     Here a man cleaned a horse or his harness, there a group chatted on the curb of the well; here a white-capped cook showed himself, and there, beside the entrance, a couple teased the brown bear that inhabited the stone kennel, and on high days made sport for the Captain of Vlaye's dogs.

2. A time or period of full activity or strength; heyday.

Related terms

• heyday
• hightide