an ancient Celtic festival held on Nov 1 to mark the beginning of winter and the beginning of a new year. It is also celebrated by modern pagans
Word origin
from Irish, from Old Irish samain
Samhain in American English
(ˈsɑːwɪn)
noun
a festival of the ancient Celts, held around November 1 to celebrate the beginning of winter
Also: Samain, samh'in (ˈsɑːwɪn)
Word origin
[1885–90; ‹ Ir; OIr samain]This word is first recorded in the period 1885–90. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: booster, classified, retread, seminar, twofer