Dictionary

esbat en · NOUN

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old French esbat, from Old French esbatre (“to frolic, to have fun”), cognate to modern ébat (“frolic”).

Meanings

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.
   • 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. 1965, Ruth E. St. Leger-Gordon, Witchcraft and Folklore of Dartmoor, page xviii. 146:

Forms