jubilee

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noun ju·bi·lee \ ˈjü-bə-(ˌ)lē , ˌjü-bə-ˈlē \

Definition of jubilee

1 a :a special anniversary; especially :a 50th anniversary

b :a celebration of such an anniversary

2 a :jubilation

b :a season of celebration

3 often capitalized :a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land

4 a :a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity

b :a special plenary indulgence granted during a year of jubilee to Roman Catholics who perform certain specified works of repentance and piety

5 :a religious song of black Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness

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See jubilee defined for kids

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Examples of jubilee in a Sentence

the town is planning a year-long jubilee in celebration of its founding 200 years ago

Recent Examples of jubilee from the Web

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II marked Canada’s 150th birthday with a visit to Canada House in central London, where she was given a sapphire brooch Wednesday to celebrate her sapphire jubilee.

— Washington Post, "Queen Elizabeth visits Canada House to mark confederation," 19 July 2017
Designers, models, and actors descended upon the British residence in New York to continue Dame Anna’s jubilee, of sorts.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Anna Wintour Celebrated Her Damehood in the Colonies," 28 June 2017
But the jubilee was expected to continue into the early morning hours, as marchers migrated to Boystown neighborhood bars to celebrate.

— james steinbauer, chicagotribune.com, "Pride Parade participants celebrate strides, protest hurdles," 25 June 2017
Celebrating Pepper at 50 The golden jubilee will unfold as if the sergeant were a monarch.

— tim de lisle, Newsweek, "The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ at 50: Why It's Still Worth Celebrating," 14 May 2017
Celebrating Pepper at 50 The golden jubilee will unfold as if the sergeant were a monarch.

— tim de lisle, Newsweek, "The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ at 50: Why It's Still Worth Celebrating," 14 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jubilee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of jubilee

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French jubilé, from Late Latin jubilaeus, modification of Late Greek iōbēlaios, from Hebrew yōbhēl ram's horn, jubilee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

jubilee Synonyms

Synonyms

carnival, celebration, fest, festivity, fete (or fête), fiesta, gala, festival

Related Words

jamboree, jollification, jollity [British], merriment, merrymaking, rejoicing, revel, revelry; exhibit, exhibition, exposition, fair, show; exercises, honors

Other Number-Related Terms

myriad, quarantine, score, twain

jubilee

adjective, often capitalized

Definition of jubilee

:flambé

cherries jubilee

First Known Use of jubilee

1951

JUBILEE Defined for English Language Learners

jubilee

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noun

Definition of jubilee for English Language Learners

: a special anniversary; also : a celebration at the time of such an anniversary

JUBILEE Defined for Kids

jubilee

play

noun ju·bi·lee \ ˈjü-bə-ˌlē , ˌjü-bə-ˈlē \

Definition of jubilee for Students

1 :a 50th anniversary

2 :a time of celebration

History for jubilee

In ancient Hebrew tradition every 50th year was a time of restoration, when slaves were freed and lands restored to their former owners. This year took its Hebrew name, yōbhēl, from the ram's horn trumpets sounded to proclaim its coming. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, yōbhēl was rendered as iōbēlaios. Under the influence of the Latin verb jubilare, “to let out joyful shouts,” the Greek word became jubilaeus in Latin, from which it came into English in the 1300s.