jubilee

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a special anniversary or the celebration of it

   We had a jubilee to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.

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Simplified etymology

Jubilee is a shortening of Latin jubilaeus annus, “year of jubilee,” based on Hebrew yōbēl. The Hebrew word originally meant a ram’s-horn trumpet, used to proclaim the special year celebrated every fifty years, when slaves were freed and fields left uncultivated. The Latin form shows that the word became associated with Latin jubilare, “shout for joy,” the source of jubilant and jubilation.

From Late Middle English jubile [and other forms], from Middle French jubile, from Old French jubilee, jubileus (modern French jubilé), from Late Latin iūbilaeus (adjective, also treated as a noun), from Ancient Greek ἰωβηλαῖος (iōbēlaîos, “of a jubilee”), from ἰώβηλος (iṓbēlos, “jubilee”) + -ῐος (-ĭos, suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Ἰώβηλος (Iṓbēlos) is derived from Hebrew יוֹבֵל (yōḇēl, “ram, trumpet made from a ram’s horn; jubilee”) (because a ram’s horn trumpet was originally used to proclaim the event; see Leviticus 25:9), influenced by Latin iūbilum (“a cry, a...

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