Hypertext Webster Gateway: "saturnalia"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Saturnalia \Sat`ur*na"li*a\, n. pl. [L. See {Saturn}.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) The festival of Saturn, celebrated in
December, originally during one day, but afterward during
seven days, as a period of unrestrained license and
merriment for all classes, extending even to the slaves.
2. Hence: A period or occasion of general license, in which
the passions or vices have riotous indulgence.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Saturnalia
n 1: an orgiastic festival in ancient Rome in honor of Saturn
[syn: {Saturnalia}]
2: a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and
promiscuity [syn: {orgy}, {debauch}, {debauchery}, {riot},
{bacchanal}, {bacchanalia}, {drunken revelry}]
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