fescennine

[ fes-uh-nahyn, -nin ]

/ ˈfɛs əˌnaɪn, -nɪn /

adjective

scurrilous; licentious; obscene: fescennine mockery.

Nearby words

fervent, fervid, fervidor, fervor, fervour, fescennine, fescue, fescue foot, fess, fess point, fesse

Origin of fescennine

1595–1605; < Latin Fescennīnus of, belonging to Fescennia, a town in Etruria noted for jesting and scurrilous verse; see -ine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fescennine

Fescennine verses of the Romans, which were used at weddings and triumphs, were intended to ward off ill luck.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
It is a charm against fascinum, 'the evil eye': and hence the name Fescennine.
The Oxford Book of Latin Verse|Various
Bridal songs with fescennine licence resounded in the theatres, market-places, courts, and gymnasia.
The Formation of Christendom, Volume VI|Thomas W. (Thomas William) Allies
A fescennine temperament is too often allied with religiosity.
Masques & Phases|Robert Ross

The ancient Atellan farces were as full of obscenity as were the fescennine songs of broad allusions.
Roman Women|Alfred Brittain

British Dictionary definitions for fescennine

Fescennine

/ (ˈfɛsɪˌnaɪn) /

adjective

rare scurrilous or obscene

Word Origin for Fescennine

C17: from Latin Fescennīnus of Fescennia, a city in Etruria noted for the production of mocking or obscene verse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012