mardi gras
UK /ˈmɑːdi ɡɹɑː/ · US /ˈmɑɹdi ɡɹɑ/ proper noun
- proper noun The day when traditionally all fat and meat in the house were finished up, before Christians were banned from eating them during Lent, which commenced the following day on Ash Wednesday.
- proper noun The last day of a carnival, traditionally the celebration immediately before the start of Lent when joy would be out of place for Christians.
- proper noun A carnival.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French mardi gras (literally “fat Tuesday”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The last day of Carnival; Shrove Tuesday; --in some cities a great day of carnival and merrymaking.
Etymology [F., literally, fat Tuesday.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mardi gras”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details