Saturnalia
Americannoun
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(sometimes used with a plural verb) the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December in ancient Rome as a time of unrestrained merrymaking.
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(lowercase) unrestrained revelry; orgy.
noun
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an ancient Roman festival celebrated in December: renowned for its general merrymaking
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(sometimes not capital) a period or occasion of wild revelry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Saturnalia
1585–95; < Latin Sāturnālia, equivalent to Sāturn ( us ) Saturn + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al 1
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.
See Examples For:
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
He said Saturnalia "was a chance to release chaos on the world" and the modern procession, held as part of the city's Winter Watch parade, was a "spectacle that represents that chaos".
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
Such Saturnalias are not uncommon at some stages of social evolution.
From The Golden Bough by Frazer, James George, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
