SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Guy Fawkes Day

play

noun \ ˈgī-ˈfȯks- \

Definition of Guy Fawkes Day

:November 5 observed in England in commemoration of the seizure of Guy Fawkes in 1605 for an attempt to blow up the houses of parliament

First Known Use of guy fawkes day

1825

Learn More about guy fawkes day

See words that rhyme with Guy Fawkes Day Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Guy Fawkes Day

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Guy Fawkes Day? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Words at Play

Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game