Saturnalia

American  

[sat-er-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh] / ˌsæt ərˈneɪ li ə, -ˈneɪl yə /

noun

PLURAL

Saturnalia, Saturnalias

1. (sometimes used with a plural verb)  the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December in ancient Rome as a time of unrestrained merrymaking.

2. (lowercase)  unrestrained revelry; orgy.

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Saturnalia British  

/ ˌsætəˈneɪlɪə /

noun

1. an ancient Roman festival celebrated in December: renowned for its general merrymaking

2. (sometimes not capital) a period or occasion of wild revelry

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Other Word Forms

• Saturnalian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Saturnalia

1585–95; < Latin Sāturnālia, equivalent to Sāturn ( us ) Saturn + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

We threw strange parties: a garden party with a “make your own hat” bar, a dinner party full of spontaneous performance art and a birthday party called Lord Pontchartrain’s Cosmic Saturnalia.

From Los Angeles Times

Ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice with Saturnalia, a seven-day festival that involved giving presents, decorating houses with plants, and lighting candles.

From National Geographic

"Soldiers here in Chester would likely have honoured the Saturnalia and particularly welcomed the fact that it would have afforded them some days off," she said.

From BBC

First, there was Saturnalia, which included feasting and gift exchange and preceded a December 25 celebration of Sol Invictus, a Roman sun god.

From Salon

A Roman gift guide for the celebration of Saturnalia by the first-century poet Martial included several texts on parchment, including works by Virgil and Cicero and Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.”

From New York Times