Dictionary

Michaelmas term en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmɪk(ə)lməs ˌtɝm/ (General-American)
• /ˈmɪk(ə)lməs ˌtɜːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. 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.
   • In Robinson v. Taylor, 5 Dowl. 518, which was a country cause, and issue had been joined in Easter vacation; no notice of trial for the summer assizes; it was held that it was not too early to move in the following Michaelmas term. 1839, Charles [Favell Forth] Wordsworth, “Cases Determined upon the New Rules and Statutes since the Publication of the Last Edition”, in Supplement to the Rules of Court, from Michaelmas Term, 1830, to the Present Time, including those on Pleading; […], London: A. Maxwell, […], →OCLC, page ccccv:
   • 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 Witneſs is not expected to return till Auguſt next. The Trial muſt be put off till Michaelmas''' Term, without farther motion. 1772, Henry Barnes, “Stratford against Marshall”, in Notes of Cases in Points of Practice Taken in the Courts of Common Pleas at Westminster; from Michaelmas Term 1732, to Hilary Term 1756 inclusive. […], 2nd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan and M. Woodfall, […]; for William Owen, […], →OCLC, pages 440–441:
   • [Order] XIX. That whenever the time allowed for any of the following purposes, that is to say, for amending any bill, for filing, delivering, and referring exceptions to any answer, or for obtaining a Master's report upon any exceptions, would expire in the interval between the last seal after Trinity term and the first seal before Michaelmas term, or between the last seal after Michaelmas term and the first seal before Hilary term, such time shall extend to and include the day of the general seal then next ensuing. 1845, R. Levinge Swift, “Appendix. Lord Lyndhurst’s Orders of 3rd April, 1828, (Amended by Lord Brougham’s Orders, 23rd November, 1831.)”, in The Orders of the High Court of Chancery, from Hilary Term 1828 to Trinity Term 1845, as at Present Applicable to the Practice: […], London: Owen Richards, […], →OCLC, pages 8–9:
2. 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.
   • Archbishop King's Lecturer lectures, for the two first Terms, upon the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, with a special reference to the objections against them, and in the third Term, upon the Socinian Controversy. The course of his Assistants is— / Michaelmas Term.—The Gospel of St. Luke, in Greek, as the basis of a harmony. […] 1838, James Thomas O’Brien, “Note F.—Page 5.”, in An Introductory Lecture Delivered in the Divinity School in Trinity College, Dublin, on the First Lecture Day of Michaelmas term, 1837, Dublin: Milliken and Son, […]; London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 71:
   • (Cambridge)
   • 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. 1813, “University Terms, and How Many are Required to be Kept for each Degree”, in The Oxford University Calendar, for the Year 1813, Oxford: […] Munday and Slatter, for J. Parker; and F[rancis] C[harles] and J[ames] Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 65:
   • (Oxford, Dublin)

Forms

Coordinates

Easter term · Easter term · Lent term · Trinity term · Hilary term · Hilary term · Trinity term

Translations (3)

cmn 米迦勒學期 /米迦勒学期 (first academic term of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from October to December) · pl semestr jesienny (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) · pl semestr jesienny (first academic term of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from October to December)

wikipedia: Royal Courts of Justice · wikipedia: Michael (archangel)