Dictionary entry

Anniversary (2)

Webster's Dictionary 1913

An′ni‐ver″sa‐ry, n.; pl. Anniversaries (�). [Cf. F. anniversaire.] 1. The annual return of the day on which any notable event took place, or is wont to be celebrated; as, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

2. (R. C. Ch.) The day on which Mass is said yearly for the soul of a deceased person; the commemoration of some sacred event, as the dedication of a church or the consecration of a pope.

3. The celebration which takes place on an anniversary day. Dryden.