Pasquinade is a noun referring to a satire posted in a public place, or to satirical writing in general. The term originated in Rome from a statue where satirical critiques were posted.
Pasquinade es un sustantivo que se refiere a una sátira publicada en un lugar público, o a la escritura satírica en general. El término se originó en Roma a partir de una estatua donde se publicaban críticas satíricas.
| Word | pasquinade |
|---|---|
| Date | October 19, 2007 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | pass-kwuh-NAYD |
| Etymology | In 1501, a marble statue from ancient times was unearthed in Rome and erected near that city's Piazza Navona. The statue depicted a male torso and was christened "Pasquino" by the Romans, perhaps after a local shopkeeper. It became a tradition to dress up the statue on St. Mark's Day, and in its honor, professors and students would write Latin verses that they would then post on it. Satires soon replaced these verses, and the Pasquino statue became a prime location for posting anonymous, bitingly critical lampoons. In the mid-17th century, these postings became known in English as "pasquinades" (from the Italian "pasquinata"). The term has since expanded in usage to refer to any kind of satirical writing. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | The article, a pasquinade mocking the proposed education reform, generated a lot of mail from readers. |
| Definition | 1 : a lampoon posted in a public place 2 : satirical writing : satire |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Enmity ill animosity animus october noun en-muh-tee synonyms
Previous card: Pound money pounding pounded unit heart place hit
Up to card list: Word of the Day