Oktoberfest

English

Alternative forms

• Octoberfest

Etymology

From German Oktoberfest.

Noun

Oktoberfest (plural Oktoberfests)

1. A two-week public festival in Munich (Bavaria, southern Germany), held yearly in late September and early October, known especially for the large party tents in which revellers consume beer on long benches.
   • 1951, William Manchester, Disturber of the Peace: The Life of H. L. Mencken, page 143:

     These Oktoberfests always resulted in bitter physical complaints, (“My liver is swelled to the thickness of seven inches, and I have spiders in my urine”), but they served for him the same peculiar function that all-night country-club gin parties were serving elsewhere.

   • 1957, Assembly, page 61:

     Joe Rogers writes that he and Jean are headed for Germany and are quite pleased with the prospect. They must have heard about these Oktoberfests.

   • 1960, The Bulletin, page 8:

     This includes interpreters for many of the world’s languages and 50 dirndl-clad waitresses versed in the intricacies of serving at Munich Oktoberfests.

Further reading

• Oktoberfest on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

German

Etymology

Oktober (“October”) +‎ Fest (“festival”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔkˈtoːbɐˌfɛst/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Oktoberfest n (strong, genitive Oktoberfestes or Oktoberfests, plural Oktoberfeste)

1. A two-week public festival in Munich (Bavaria, southern Germany), held yearly in late September and early October, known especially for the large party tents in which revellers consume beer on long benches.
2. One of a number of much smaller festivals that have been organised in some other places of Germany and the world since the late 20th century, generally involving stereotypical elements of Bavarian culture.

Declension

Declension of Oktoberfest [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Oktoberfest	die	Oktoberfeste
genitive	eines	des	Oktoberfestes, Oktoberfests	der	Oktoberfeste
dative	einem	dem	Oktoberfest, Oktoberfeste1	den	Oktoberfesten
accusative	ein	das	Oktoberfest	die	Oktoberfeste

¹Now rare, see notes.

Synonyms

• (original festival in Munich): Wiesn

Derived terms

• Oktoberfestbier

Further reading

• “Oktoberfest” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Oktoberfest” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Oktoberfest” in Duden online
• Oktoberfest on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de