01 n. A festival celebrated with merriment and revelry in Roman Catholic countries during the week before Lent, esp. at Rome and Naples, during a…
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1.
A festival celebrated with merriment and revelry in Roman Catholic countries during the week before Lent, esp. at Rome and Naples, during a few days (three to ten) before Lent, ending with Shrove Tuesday.“The carnival at Venice is everywhere talked of.” — Addison.
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2.
Any merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading, especially when overstepping the bounds of decorum; a time of riotous excess.“He saw the lean dogs beneath the wall Hold o'er the dead their carnival” — Byron.