Saturnalia

[sat-er-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh]

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.

Saturnalia

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• Saturnalian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Saturnalia¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Saturnalia¹

C16: from Latin Sāturnālis relating to _Saturn 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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on 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.

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

Read more on 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.”

Read more on New York Times