feria

¹ American  

[feer-ee-uh] / ˈfɪər i ə /

noun

plural

feriae, ferias

1. Ecclesiastical. a weekday on which no feast is celebrated.

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feria ² American  

[fe-ryah, fer-ee-uh] / ˈfɛ ryɑ, ˈfɛr i ə /

noun

Spanish.

plural

ferias

1. a local festival or fair in Spain or Spanish America, usually held in honor of a patron saint.

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feria British  

/ ˈfɪərɪə /

noun

1. RC Church a weekday, other than Saturday, on which no feast occurs

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Usage

What does feria mean? Feria is a word used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to a weekday on which no feast is celebrated. In this context, a feria is any weekday (Monday through Friday) that doesn’t celebrate a holy mystery, event, or person (such as a saint). Days that celebrate one of these are called feast days. The plural of feria is feriae or ferias. The adjective form of this meaning of feria is ferial, as in Monday is a ferial day. The religious sense of feria is not commonly used today, even among most Catholics. You’re much more likely to hear the word feria in Spanish, in which it refers to a local fair or festival, especially one to celebrate a local saint. Example: Friday was a feria because there was no religious feast celebrated.

Other Word Forms

• ferial adjective

Etymology

Origin of feria

First recorded 1760–65; from Late Latin: “day of the week” (e.g. secunda fēria “second day, Monday”); in Latin only plural fēriae “holidays”; see fair ²

Example Sentences

Durante una feria un niño huérfano salva de un tramposo a un jugador y éste lo adopta y lo cría junto con su hija.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2019

En la feria de San Marcos es dónde dos charros demuestran su interés por complacer a las mujeres que tanto quieren.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2019

Swinging into the spirit of the feria, Jackie donned the traditional comb and mantilla to accompany Garrigues to her second bullfight.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some of the Gitana girls are remarkably handsome, and the gay colours of their clothing lend animation to this part of the feria.

From The Story of Seville by Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)

The most commonly accepted derivation of the word “fair” is from the Latin feria, a name which the church borrowed from Roman custom and applied to her own festivals.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various