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mirthful; sportive. -- Fes"tive*ly, adv. The glad circle round them yield their souls To festive mirth and wit that knows no gall. Thomson.

Having no mirth; not festive or merry; dull; cheerless; gloomy; forlorn. [R.]

ting to a feast or entertainment, or to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity; festive; social; gay; jovial. Which feasts convivial meetings we did name. Denham.

The good humor or mirth indulged in upon festive occasions; a convivial spirit or humor; festivity.

ations against abuses in the church. Hooker. Thus will I drown your exclamations. Shak. A festive exclamation not unsuited to the occasion. Trench.

A festive or joyous meal; a grand, ceremonious, or sumptuous entertainment, of which many guests partake; a banquet characterized by tempting variety and abundance of food. Enough is as good as a feast. Old Proverb. Belshazzar the King made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. Dan. v. 1.

Festive; festal; joyful; sumptuous; luxurious. "Feastful days." Milton. -- Feast"ful*ly, adv.

Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. You bless with choicer wine the festal day. Francis.

Joyously; festively; mirthfully.

Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful. I cannot woo in festival terms. Shak.

The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety. The unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth. Bp. Hurd.

Pertaining to a feast; festive. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

Festive; fond of festive occasions. [Obs.] "A festlich man." Chaucer.

Festive decoration of houses or buildings with lights.

A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade; hence, a revel; a frolic; a delusive show. Bacon. This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Milton.

Pertaining to a festival; festive; festal. [Obs.] "On this solemn day." Chaucer.

To sit up late festive purposes; to hold a night revel. The king doth wake to-night, and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail, and the swaggering upspring reels. Shak.

An ancient expression of good wishes on a festive occasion, especially in drinking to some one. Geoffrey of Monmouth relates, on the authority of Walter Calenius, that this lady [Rowena], the daughter of Hengist, knelt down on the approach of the king, and, presenting him with a cup of wine, exclaimed, Lord king wæs he…