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saturnalia

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Sat⋅ur⋅na⋅li⋅a

  [sat-er-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh]
Use saturnalia in a Sentence
–noun, plural -li⋅a, -li⋅as.
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.
Origin:
1585–95; < L Sāturnālia, equiv. to Sāturn(us) Saturn + -ālia, neut. pl. of -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
Sat⋅ur⋅na⋅li⋅an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sat·ur·na·li·a   (sāt'ər-nā'lē-ə, -nāl'yə)   
pl.n.  

  1. Saturnalia The ancient Roman seven-day festival of Saturn, which began on December 17.

  2. (used with a sing. verb) A celebration marked by unrestrained revelry and often licentiousness; an orgy.


[Latin Sāturnālia, from neuter pl. of Sāturnālis, Saturnian, from Sāturnus, Saturn; see Saturn.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

saturnalia 
"time of merrymaking," 1591, from L. Saturnalia, ancient Roman festival of Saturn (held in December), a time of merrymaking for all, from neut. pl. of adj. Saturnalis "pertaining to Saturn," from Saturnus (see Saturn). The extended sense of "period of unrestrained revelry" is first attested 1782.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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