Pillowfest

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lively gathering in which many people take part in a mass pillow fight, often as a playful social event
2. An organized event built around a large, good-humored battle of throwing and swinging pillows at one another
3. A boisterous party centered on a big pillow fight that participants join for fun and friendly rivalry

Etymology: Pillow comes from Old English "pyle," which was itself borrowed from Latin "pulvinus," meaning cushion. The English word has meant a soft bag for the head since Old English, while the Latin original referred to a cushion of any kind. The second half, "-fest," comes from German "Fest," meaning festival or celebration. English speakers borrowed it as a combining form, most visibly in American English, where it gives us "songfest," "bakefest," and similar coinages for a gathering built around one activity. "Pillowfest" applies that pattern to a pillow fight, turning a free-for-all into a planned festival.