Michaelmas
UK/ˈmɪkəlməs/
Michaelmas proper noun: a Christian feast celebrated on the 29th of September in honour of the archangel Michael. Also the ellipsis of Michaelmas term.
Proper noun
Michaelmas (plural Michaelmases)
- A Christian feast celebrated on the 29th of September in honour of the archangel Michael.
- To make Capons […] [S]ome for this Purpoſe make it their Buſineſs after Harveſt-time to go to Markets for buying up Chickens, and between Michaelmas and All-hollantide caponize the Cocks, when they have got large enough to have Stones [i.e., testes] of ſuch a Bigneſs that they may be pulled out...1750, W[illiam] Ellis, The Country Housewife's Family Companion: Or Profitable Directions for Whatever Relates to the Management and Good Œconomy of the Domestick Concerns of a Country Life...
Also used as
Michaelmas is also the ellipsis of Michaelmas term.
Synonyms of Michaelmas
Forms of Michaelmas
| plural | Michaelmases |
|---|---|
| alternative form (obsolete) | Mihilmas |
Origin of Michaelmas
From Middle English Michelmasse, Myghelmesse; equivalent to Michael + -mas.
Words formed from Michaelmas
Phrases with Michaelmas
Questions about Michaelmas
- What does Michaelmas mean?
- Michaelmas means a Christian feast celebrated on the 29th of September in honour of the archangel Michael.
- What part of speech is Michaelmas?
- Michaelmas is a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce Michaelmas?
- Michaelmas is pronounced /ˈmɪkəlməs/ (UK).
Words near Michaelmas in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Michaelmas (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Michaelmas.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/michaelmas. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.