Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
Mardi Gras [mahr-dee grah, grah] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- the day before Lent, celebrated in some cities, as New Orleans and Paris, as a day of carnival and merrymaking; Shrove Tuesday.
- a pre-Lenten carnival period climaxing on this day.
Origin of Mardi Gras 1690–1700; French: literally, fat Tuesday Related Words for mardi gras carnival, celebration, festival, parade Examples from the Web for mardi gras Historical Examples of mardi gras
The Mardi-Gras dance had been like a hideous dream to Rachael.
Kathleen Norris
My daughter is sending down a counterpart of her own wedding-dress for your bride of the Mardi-Gras.’
Charlotte M. Yonge
Then another entertainment, a sort of mardi-gras maigre feast, was a champagne tea given for us at the Capitol by Mr. Blaine.
The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912
Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
British Dictionary definitions for mardi gras Mardi Gras noun
- the festival of Shrove Tuesday, celebrated in some cities with great revelry
Word Origin for Mardi Gras French: fat Tuesday Word Origin and History for mardi gras Mardi Gras n.
1690s, from French, literally “fat Tuesday,” from mardi “Tuesday” (12c., from Latin Martis diem “day of the planet Mars;” see Tuesday) + gras “fat,” from Latin crassus, “thick.” Day of eating and merrymaking before the fasting season of Lent.
mardi gras in Culture Mardi Gras [(mahr-dee grah)]
An annual festival held in France on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” — meaning it is the last opportunity to eat rich food before the fast of Lent begins. It is related to celebrations elsewhere, called “carnivals,” from the Latin words carne and vale, “meat” and “farewell,” meaning a farewell to meat before the abstinence of Lent.
Note New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for its Mardi Gras celebration, as is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.