Saturnalia

American  

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

noun

Saturnalias plural

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

Derived Forms

• Saturnalian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• Saturnalia
  plural
• Saturnalias
  plural

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 • Jun. 7, 2024

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 • Dec. 19, 2023

Dr Caroline Pudney, a senior archaeology lecturer at the University of Chester, said keeping Saturnalia alive in the city was about "maintaining a sense of tradition and bringing the past to life".

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023

By the time of the late-Roman Republic, Saturnalia had grown from a one-day celebration to a week-long festival held each year from December 17 to 23.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2022

In memory of the Golden Age, when he reigned in Italy, the great feast of the Saturnalia was held every year during the winter.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton