# thanksgiving

Pronunciation: say "thanks-GIV-ing" /ˌθæŋksˈɡɪv.ɪŋ/

## Proper noun · Thanksgiving

1. A national holiday of giving thanks, held on the fourth Thursday of November in the US and the second Monday of October in Canada. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A holiday on the fourth Thursday of November in the US and the second Monday of October in Canada.
   - _She hasn't missed a Thanksgiving with her family in twenty years._
   - _Their Thanksgivings were loud, crowded affairs, with cousins sleeping on every couch._
2. The long holiday weekend that includes Thanksgiving Day. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: The long weekend around the Thanksgiving holiday.
   - _Highway traffic peaks over Thanksgiving as families travel home for the long weekend._
   - _We spent Thanksgiving at the cottage and didn't get back until late Monday night._
5. A celebration in another culture that resembles the North American holiday of giving thanks, especially a harvest festival.
   - Simple: A holiday in another culture that is like the North American day of giving thanks, often after a harvest.
   - _Every autumn the Lee family flies to Busan to visit relatives for Korean Thanksgiving._
   - _For many families, Sukkot works as a Jewish Thanksgiving, with meals eaten outdoors in a harvest hut._

## Noun

3. The expression of gratitude, or a particular act of giving thanks.
   - Simple: Saying or showing that you are thankful.
   - _The meeting opened in a spirit of thanksgiving for the volunteers who had rebuilt the school._
   - _When the rescue boat reached them, the stranded hikers offered a quiet prayer of thanksgiving._
4. A short prayer of grace or blessing said at a meal.
   - Simple: A short prayer people say at a meal.
   - _The abbot rose at the end of the meal and offered a brief thanksgiving._
   - _At every family supper, her father led the thanksgiving before anyone touched a fork._
6. A public celebration held to give thanks for divine favor, such as a good harvest.
   - Simple: A public event to thank God for something good, like a good harvest.
   - _The governor proclaimed a day of public thanksgiving when the epidemic finally passed._
   - _The village's harvest thanksgiving ended with a supper in the church hall._

## Origin

**Meanings 3–4, 6** — From thanks + giving.
**Meanings 1–2, 5** — From the common noun thanksgiving (thanks + giving), used as the name of the holiday.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/thanksgiving (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).