Hilary term

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Hilary term

/ˈhɪləɹi tɜːm/ UK
/ˈhɪləɹi tɝm/ US

Where it comes from

Hilary + term. The name Hilary is from the Latin Hilarius (“Latin name of Saint Hilary of Poitiers”), hilarius (“more cheerful, more joyful”), from hilarē (“cheerful, joyful”), from hilaris (“cheerful, light-hearted, lively”), from Ancient Greek ἱλαρός (hilarós, “cheerful, glad, happy, joyful, merry”), from ἵλαος (hílaos, “gracious, merciful, propitious; gentle, kind, mild”). The feast day of Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310 – c. 367), 13 January, occurs during this term.

noun Hilary terms

The second term of the legal year, running from January to March or April, during which the upper courts of England and Wales, and Ireland, sit to hear cases. In Hilary term, 1777, Howland and his co-truſtees, filed a bill againſt the preſent plaintiff Elizabeth, the teſtator's heir at law, and the perſons claiming under his will, for the directions and indemnity of the Court, in executing their truſt; […]
The second academic term of the universities of Oxford and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from January to March; equivalent to Lent term at the University of Cambridge. The term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates. There are four terms in the year, viz. […] 2. Hilary term, which begins on the 14th day of January, and ends the day before Palm Sunday.

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MLA

"Hilary term." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hilary%20term. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Hilary term. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hilary%20term

Chicago

"Hilary term." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hilary%20term.

BibTeX

@misc{hilary_term_2026,
  title = {Hilary term},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hilary%20term},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}