noun
jubilee
A special religious period of renewal or release from obligations.
During the jubilee, pilgrims gather for prayer and spiritual renewal.
Etymology
The Hebrew word names a ram’s horn used to announce the special year. The instrument’s name transferred to the religious period of release and restoration it proclaimed.
More examples
- The biblical jubilee calls for enslaved people to be freed.
- Families recover their ancestral land in the biblical jubilee.
- Catholic jubilees encourage pilgrimage, prayer, and charitable giving.
Forms
jubilee · jubilees
Similar words
- holy year
- Specifically names a Catholic period of special religious observance.