Meaning & use
ruby anniversary
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Meanings
nouncountable
the 40th anniversary of a wedding, traditionally celebrated with ruby gifts.
Grammar: Countable; use a/an or the before it: a ruby anniversary, their ruby anniversary.
Patterns
- a ruby anniversary
- celebrate a ruby anniversary
- on your ruby anniversary
My grandparents celebrated their ruby anniversary with a big family dinner.
The couple received a ruby necklace as a ruby anniversary present.
They are planning a trip to Italy for their ruby anniversary next June.
nouncountable
the 40th anniversary of an important event or organization.
Grammar: Countable; often used with the name of the organization: the company's ruby anniversary.
Patterns
- the ruby anniversary of something
- mark a ruby anniversary
- the organization's ruby anniversary
The school held a concert to mark its ruby anniversary.
The charity is publishing a book for its ruby anniversary.
Next year is the ruby anniversary of the founding of the museum.
Word forms
| plural | ruby anniversaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- celebrate a ruby anniversary
- We celebrated our ruby anniversary with a party.
- ruby anniversary present
- He gave her a ruby anniversary present.
- mark a ruby anniversary
- The town marked its ruby anniversary with fireworks.
- on your ruby anniversary
- On your ruby anniversary, you should do something special.
Synonyms and how they differ
- 40th anniversary
- A more general term; it can refer to any 40th anniversary, not just a wedding.
Word family
- anniversary noun
- A yearly return of a date; the base word in the phrase.
- ruby noun
- A red precious stone; used here to name the 40th year.
Practice
Which anniversary is traditionally called a ruby anniversary?
Choose one answer.
Ruby is the traditional gift for a 40th anniversary. The 25th is silver, the 50th is gold, and the 60th is diamond.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ruby anniversary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.