Meanings
nounkirmess (plural kirmesses)
plural kirmesses · alternative kermesse · alternative kermis
- A social entertainment event similar to a fête or fair. It can be inside or outside, and often involves fundraising for religious purposes.
Origin
- Dutchkermis
- GermanKirmes
- Englishkirmess
From German Kirmes and Dutch kermis, both originally “church mass”, referring to a festival on the anniversary of the consecration of a church. See respective entries for more.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto kermeso
- kermesoan outdoor festival and fair
Finnish markkinat
- markkinatan outdoor festival and fair
French kermesse
- kermessean outdoor festival and fair
German Kirmes
- Kirmesan outdoor festival and fair
Italian kermesse
- kermessean outdoor festival and fair
Polish jarmark, kiermasz
- jarmarkan outdoor festival and fair
- kiermaszan outdoor festival and fair
Portuguese quermesse
- quermessean outdoor festival and fair
Romanian chermeză
- chermezăan outdoor festival and fair
Spanish quermés
- quermésan outdoor festival and fair
Turkish kermes
- kermesan outdoor festival and fair
Ukrainian храм, празник
- храм (xram)an outdoor festival and fair
- празник (praznyk)an outdoor festival and fair
Cite this entry
APA
kirmess. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirmess
MLA
“kirmess.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirmess. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kirmess,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirmess.
Source: kirmess on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.