hugfest

H4U1G2F4E1S1T1

noun

An event that is filled with or typified by hugging, or by saccharine emotion.

OriginEnglish fest ← German Fest ← Middle High German fëst →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounhugfest (plural hugfests)

plural hugfests

  1. informalAn event that is filled with or typified by hugging, or by saccharine emotion.

    By orchestrating this work with such cool reserve, Doolas avoided the pitfall of turning her celebration of womanhood into a free-for-all hugfest.

    1988 March 4, Justin Hayford, “Ambiguous Gestures”, in Chicago Reader

Origin

  1. Englishhug
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁s
  4. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁stos
  5. Proto-Italic*θēstos
  6. Proto-Italic*fēstos
  7. Latinfēstus
  8. Latinfestum
  9. Middle High Germanfëst
  10. GermanFest
  11. Englishfest
  12. Englishhugfest

From hug + -fest.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hugfest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hugfest

MLA

“hugfest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hugfest. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hugfest,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hugfest.

Source: hugfest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.