Michaelmas term
English
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Michaelmas term
- /ˈmɪk(ə)lməs ˌtɜːm/ UK
- /ˈmɪk(ə)lməs ˌtɝm/ US
Where it comes from
From Michaelmas + term; Michaelmas is from Michael (“the name of the biblical archangel”) + -mas (suffix indicating a holiday or sacred day), meaning the feast day of St Michael. Michael is derived from Late Latin Michahel, from Koine Greek Μιχαήλ (Mikhaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, “who is like God?”); while -mas is from mass, from Middle English masse, from Old English mæsse (“mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”), from Vulgar Latin *messa (“Eucharist; dismissal”), from Late Latin missa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of Latin mittere, the present active infinitive of mittō (“to dispatch, send; to discharge, release; to dismiss”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to exchange”). The Christian feast day of Michaelmas, 29 September, occurs a few days before the start of this term.
noun Michaelmas terms
- The first term of the legal year, running from October to December, during which the upper courts of England and Wales, and Ireland, sit to hear cases. A Rule was made for the Plaintiff to ſhew Cauſe why the Trial ſhould not be reſpited till Michaelmas Term next upon Affidavits that a material Witneſs for Defendant was gone to Sea, and was not expected home till Auguſt next. […] Per Cur[iam]: Let the Rule be abſolute, it being ſworn that the Witneſ
- The first academic term of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from October to December; 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. 1. Michaelmas term, which begins on the 10th of October, and ends on the 17th of December.
Translations
Every language
noun first academic term of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from October to December
| 中文 | 米迦勒學期 /米迦勒学期 Mǐjiālèxuéqī, -qí |
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Talk about this word "Michaelmas term." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/michaelmas%20term. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Michaelmas term. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/michaelmas%20term "Michaelmas term." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/michaelmas%20term.Cite this
@misc{michaelmas_term_2026,
title = {Michaelmas term},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/michaelmas%20term},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
