Lupercalia

American  

[loo-per-key-lee-uh, ‑-keyl-yuh] / ˌlu pərˈkeɪ li ə, ‑ˈkeɪl yə /

noun

PLURAL

Lupercalia, Lupercalias

1. a festival held in ancient Rome on the 15th of February to promote fertility and ward off disasters.

---

Lupercalia British  

/ ˌluːpɜːˈkeɪlɪə /

noun

1. an ancient Roman festival of fertility, celebrated annually on Feb 15 See also Saint Valentine's Day

---

Other Word Forms

• Lupercalian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lupercalia

Latin, from Lupercālis belonging to Lupercus, a Roman god of the flocks

Example Sentences

Chapter 14, “Lupercalia,” finds Sabrina and Nick taking part in the Academy’s annual celebration of teenage debauchery.

From The Verge

The Lupercalia in Chapter 14 happens at the same time as Baxter’s Valentine’s dance.

From The Verge

The great dictator had prepared his own political spectacle under the guise of the Lupercalia chaos and had made his ally, Mark Antony, the captain of the Luperci.

From The Guardian

Despite this evidence of the importance of the Lupercalia festival, the actual sanctuary of the Lupercal is proving difficult to pin down.

From The Guardian

It was only during exceptional occasions that Romans were freed from their social norms – and the most spectacular occasion was the annual Lupercalia festival.

From The Guardian