saturnalia

See also: Saturnalia

English

WOTD – 1 January 2007

Etymology

From Latin Sāturnālia, a festival of the winter solstice.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsætəˈneɪli.ə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌsætɚˈneɪli.ə/, /ˌsætɚˈneɪljə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

saturnalia (plural saturnalias)

1. A period or occasion of general license, in which the passions or vices have riotous indulgence; a period of unrestrained revelry.
   • 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter LXX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 260:

     a man who mounts the Hustings, must not allow himself to be sore-boned, or he invites his opponents to 'touch him on the raw,' not in the exercise of their malice, but their power; an election is a saturnalia."

   • 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXVI, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1906 February 26, →OCLC:

     They lodged men and women on the same floor; and with the night there began a saturnalia of debauchery—scenes such as never before had been witnessed in America.

   • 1922, James Frazer, chapter 14, in The Golden Bough:

     If at the birth of the Latin kings their fathers were really unknown, the fact points either to a general looseness of life in the royal family or to a special relaxation of moral rules on certain occasions, when men and women reverted for a season to the licence of an earlier age. Such Saturnalias are not uncommon at some stages of social evolution.

   • 1922, Rafael Sabatini, chapter XXVIII, in Captain Blood: His Odyssy:

     Yet if he remained, it would simply mean that his own and Hagthorpe's crews would join in the saturnalia and increase the hideousness of events now inevitable.

   • 1961, Joseph Heller, chapter 34, in Catch-22:

     It was a raw, violent, guzzling saturnalia that spilled obstreperously through the woods to the officers' club and spread up into the hills toward the hospital and the antiaircraft-gun emplacements.

   • 2001, Chip Kidd, The Cheese Monkeys:

     We advanced into the main hall, already aroar with a saturnalia of sozzled gestures and gibbering.

Related terms

• Saturn
• saturnalian
• saturnian

Translations

unrestrained revelry

• Esperanto: saturnalio
• Hindi: भोग-विलास (bhog-vilās)
• Russian: разгу́л (ru) m (razgúl)

See also

• bacchanalia
• dionysia
• satyrism

Anagrams

• Australian

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin Sāturnālia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɑturnɑliɑ/, [ˈs̠ɑ̝t̪urˌnɑ̝liɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑliɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): sa‧tur‧na‧lia

Noun

saturnalia

1. saturnalia

Declension

Inflection of saturnalia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		saturnalia	saturnaliat
genitive		saturnalian	saturnalioiden saturnalioitten
partitive		saturnaliaa	saturnalioita
illative		saturnaliaan	saturnalioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		saturnalia	saturnaliat
accusative	nom.	saturnalia	saturnaliat
	gen.	saturnalian
genitive		saturnalian	saturnalioiden saturnalioitten saturnaliain rare
partitive		saturnaliaa	saturnalioita
inessive		saturnaliassa	saturnalioissa
elative		saturnaliasta	saturnalioista
illative		saturnaliaan	saturnalioihin
adessive		saturnalialla	saturnalioilla
ablative		saturnalialta	saturnalioilta
allative		saturnalialle	saturnalioille
essive		saturnaliana	saturnalioina
translative		saturnaliaksi	saturnalioiksi
abessive		saturnaliatta	saturnalioitta
instructive		—	saturnalioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of saturnalia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative saturnaliani saturnaliani accusative nom. saturnaliani saturnaliani gen. saturnaliani genitive saturnaliani saturnalioideni saturnalioitteni saturnaliaini rare partitive saturnaliaani saturnalioitani inessive saturnaliassani saturnalioissani elative saturnaliastani saturnalioistani illative saturnaliaani saturnalioihini adessive saturnaliallani saturnalioillani ablative saturnalialtani saturnalioiltani allative saturnalialleni saturnalioilleni essive saturnalianani saturnalioinani translative saturnaliakseni saturnalioikseni abessive saturnaliattani saturnalioittani instructive — — comitative — saturnalioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative saturnaliasi saturnaliasi accusative nom. saturnaliasi saturnaliasi gen. saturnaliasi genitive saturnaliasi saturnalioidesi saturnalioittesi saturnaliaisi rare partitive saturnaliaasi saturnalioitasi inessive saturnaliassasi saturnalioissasi elative saturnaliastasi saturnalioistasi illative saturnaliaasi saturnalioihisi adessive saturnaliallasi saturnalioillasi ablative saturnalialtasi saturnalioiltasi allative saturnaliallesi saturnalioillesi essive saturnalianasi saturnalioinasi translative saturnaliaksesi saturnalioiksesi abessive saturnaliattasi saturnalioittasi instructive — — comitative — saturnalioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative saturnaliamme saturnaliamme accusative nom. saturnaliamme saturnaliamme gen. saturnaliamme genitive saturnaliamme saturnalioidemme saturnalioittemme saturnaliaimme rare partitive saturnaliaamme saturnalioitamme inessive saturnaliassamme saturnalioissamme elative saturnaliastamme saturnalioistamme illative saturnaliaamme saturnalioihimme adessive saturnaliallamme saturnalioillamme ablative saturnalialtamme saturnalioiltamme allative saturnaliallemme saturnalioillemme essive saturnalianamme saturnalioinamme translative saturnaliaksemme saturnalioiksemme abessive saturnaliattamme saturnalioittamme instructive — — comitative — saturnalioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative saturnalianne saturnalianne accusative nom. saturnalianne saturnalianne gen. saturnalianne genitive saturnalianne saturnalioidenne saturnalioittenne saturnaliainne rare partitive saturnaliaanne saturnalioitanne inessive saturnaliassanne saturnalioissanne elative saturnaliastanne saturnalioistanne illative saturnaliaanne saturnalioihinne adessive saturnaliallanne saturnalioillanne ablative saturnalialtanne saturnalioiltanne allative saturnaliallenne saturnalioillenne essive saturnaliananne saturnalioinanne translative saturnaliaksenne saturnalioiksenne abessive saturnaliattanne saturnalioittanne instructive — — comitative — saturnalioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative saturnaliansa saturnaliansa accusative nom. saturnaliansa saturnaliansa gen. saturnaliansa genitive saturnaliansa saturnalioidensa saturnalioittensa saturnaliainsa rare partitive saturnaliaansa saturnalioitaan saturnalioitansa inessive saturnaliassaan saturnaliassansa saturnalioissaan saturnalioissansa elative saturnaliastaan saturnaliastansa saturnalioistaan saturnalioistansa illative saturnaliaansa saturnalioihinsa adessive saturnaliallaan saturnaliallansa saturnalioillaan saturnalioillansa ablative saturnalialtaan saturnalialtansa saturnalioiltaan saturnalioiltansa allative saturnalialleen saturnaliallensa saturnalioilleen saturnalioillensa essive saturnalianaan saturnalianansa saturnalioinaan saturnalioinansa translative saturnaliakseen saturnaliaksensa saturnalioikseen saturnalioiksensa abessive saturnaliattaan saturnaliattansa saturnalioittaan saturnalioittansa instructive — — comitative — saturnalioineen saturnalioinensa