fescennine

[ fes-uh-nahyn, -nin ]

/ ˈfɛs əˌnaɪn, -nɪn /

adjective

scurrilous; licentious; obscene: fescennine mockery.

Nearby words

fervid, fervidly, 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

Word Origin and History for fescennine

Fescennine

adj.

"vulgar, obscene, scurrilous," from Latin Fescenninus (versus), a rude form of dramatic or satiric verse, from Fescennia, city in Etruria, noted for such productions.

The Fescennine Songs were the origin of the Satire, the only important species of literature not derived from the Greeks, and altogether peculiar to Italy. These Fescennine Songs were rude dialogues, in which the country people assailed and ridiculed one another in extempore verses, and which were introduced as an amusement in various festivals. [William Smith, "A Smaller History of Rome," London, 1870]