Hilary term , n : The second term of the legal year, running from January to March or April, during which the upper courts of England and Wales, and Ireland, sit to hear cases. The second academic term of the universities of Oxford and Dublin, running from January to March. The term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates. Today is the feast day of Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310 – c. 367), which occurs during this term.