esbat

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French esbat, cognate to modern ébat (“frolic”).

Noun

esbat (plural esbats)

1. A Wiccan coven gathering other than one of the Sabbats. While a full moon ritual may be held during an esbat, esbats encompass coven business meetings, social occasions, and opportunities for merriment.
   • 1965, Ruth E. St. Leger-Gordon, Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor, page xviii. 146:

     Latter day witches, continuing the age-long cult, frequently made use of these old circles as meeting places, holding esbats, sabbats, and performing their ritual "ring" dances within the circumference of the tall granite stones.

Anagrams

• beast, Beats, baste, Sebat, besat, beats, abets, Bates, Beast, BEAST, betas, bates, tabes

Catalan

Verb

esbat

1. inflection of esbatre:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Old French

Etymology

From the verb esbatre.

Noun

esbat oblique singular, m (oblique plural esbaz or esbatz, nominative singular esbaz or esbatz, nominative plural esbat)

1. frolic
2. strike; hit; blow

Descendants

• → English: esbat
• Middle French: esbat
  • French: ébat