eisteddfod

American  

[ahy-steth-vod, ey-steth-] / aɪˈstɛð vɒd, eɪˈstɛð- /

noun

plural

eisteddfods, eisteddfodau

1. (in Wales) an annual festival, with competitions among poets and musicians.

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eisteddfod British  

/ aɪˈstɛðvɔd, aɪˈstɛdfəd /

noun

1. any of a number of annual festivals in Wales, esp the Royal National Eisteddfod, in which competitions are held in music, poetry, drama, and the fine arts

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Other Word Forms

• eisteddfodic adjective

Etymology

Origin of eisteddfod

1815–25; < Welsh: literally, session, equivalent to eistedd sitting + fod, variant (by lenition) of bod being

Example Sentences

His theory is that the Garn, as it is known locally, was instead used to host festivals, a bit like an prehistoric Royal Welsh Agricultural Show or even an eisteddfod.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2023

On 5 October 1957, the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion filled with perhaps 5,000 people for the miners’ eisteddfod.

From The Guardian • Jul. 2, 2017

He has spoken in the past – surly/amused – of an "eisteddfod of hostility", as if his detractors were the excitable participants in a provincial arts festival.

From The Guardian • Aug. 15, 2014

Radio presenter Roy Noble, chair of the Welsh government's task force which looked at future funding for the eisteddfod, said he hoped the council grant would at least be maintained post reorganisation.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2014

The last commission was issued by Queen Elizabeth in 1568, but the eisteddfod fell into abeyance during the seventeenth century.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 2: Ebert to Estremadura by Various