Jubilarians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of people who celebrate a significant anniversary or joyous occasion together
2. individuals who participate in festivities marking a milestone event
3. persons recognized for their contributions during a celebratory event commemorating their achievements

Etymology: The name begins with a ram. In Hebrew, "yobel" meant a ram's horn, and its blast announced the Year of Jubilee described in Leviticus 25, a sabbatical year in which debts were forgiven, enslaved Israelites were freed, and land returned to its original families. Latin rendered the Hebrew as "jubilaeus," and the ancient Latin verb "jubilare," meaning "to shout for joy," was later linked to it. That association is a folk etymology, not the true source, though it helped shape the festive sense the term later took on. English received "jubilee" through Old French in the Middle Ages, and it came to mean any notable anniversary, especially a fiftieth. The "-arian" ending comes from Latin "-arius," the same suffix found in "librarian" and "centenarian." Adding it to "jubilee" produced a word for those being honored at such an anniversary. The exact date of its first English use is uncertain, but it is a relatively modern formation built on the older noun.