[ju.bi.lee] n [ME, fr. MF & LL; MF jubile, fr. LL jubilaeus, modif. of LGk iobelaios, fr. Heb yobhel ram's horn, jubilee] (14c) 1 often cap: a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land
2. a: a special anniversary; esp: a 50th anniversary b: a celebration of such an anniversary 3 a: a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity b: a special plenary indulgence granted during a year of jubilee to Roman Catholics who perform certain specified works of repentance and piety
4. a: jubilation b: a season of celebration
5: an Afro-American religious song usu. referring to a time of future happiness
[2]jubilee adj, often cap (1951): flambe "cherries ~"