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Lupercalia

American

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

noun

plural

Lupercalia, Lupercalias

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

Lupercalia British

/ ˌluːpɜːˈkeɪlɪə /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Lupercalian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lupercalia

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Historians believe that Valentine's Day is rooted in the Roman love and fertility festival, Lupercalia, and was a move by Gelasius I to Christianise pagan traditions.

From BBC

Some believe that Valentine’s Day is an offshoot from the ancient festival of Lupercalia, a raucous Roman fertility rite held in the middle of February.

From New York Times

Lewis also shared with Fox News the story of the pagan celebration Lupercalia.

From Fox News

She explained that Lupercalia was celebrated in Rome between February 13–15 to stave off evil and celebrate fertility.

From Fox News

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

From The Verge

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023