jubilee
UK[ˈdʒuːbɪliː]US[ˈdʒuːbɪliː]
n
a special anniversary of an event, especially one celebrating twenty-five or fifty years of a reign or activity.
n
a time of celebration or rejoicing.
Etymology
the word 'jubilee' entered english in the late 14th century via old french 'jubile', from late latin 'jubilaeus'. this latin term was an alteration of greek 'iōbēlaios', which was itself derived from hebrew 'yōbhēl', meaning 'ram's horn' or 'trumpet'. the original hebrew term referred to a year of emancipation and restoration, proclaimed every 50 years by the sounding of a ram's horn. the semantic journey thus moved from a concrete object (the horn) to the proclamation made by it, and finally to the period of celebration and freedom it announced. this historical and religious concept was generalized in english to denote any major anniversary or time of joyful celebration.
Analysis
the word is a simplex loanword. it does not contain separable morphemes within its modern english spelling.
Examples
the town is planning a grand festival for its diamond jubilee.
the company's 50th jubilee was marked with bonuses for all employees.
the royal jubilee brought crowds of well-wishers to the streets.