travesty
noun
- literary genre
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333311 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈtɹæv.ɪs.ti/ / /ˈtɹæv.əs.ti/
noun
Etymology: From French travesti (“disguised, burlesqued”), past participle of travestir (“to disguise”), borrowed from Italian travestire (“to dress up, disguise”), from tra- (“across”) + vestire (“to dress”), from Latin vestiō (“to clothe, dress”), from Proto-Italic *westis (“clothing”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis (“dressing”) from verbal root *wes- (“to dress, clothe”); cognate to English wear. Doublet of travesti.
- An absurd, grotesque, misrepresentative or grossly inferior likeness or imitation.
“A battlefield trial is a travesty of justice.”
“The second edition is not a recast, but absolutely a travesty of the first.”
- A pastiche, parody, or stylistic imitation; a burlesque literary or artistic imitation (typically of a more serious work).
- An appalling event, situation or outcome (especially in relation to another outcome to which it is grossly inferior).
“Spurs survived the scare - and such was their domination after the break that it would have been a travesty had Arsenal escaped Wembley, hosting a Premier League record attendance of 83,222, with a draw.”
verb
Etymology: From French travesti (“disguised, burlesqued”), past participle of travestir (“to disguise”), borrowed from Italian travestire (“to dress up, disguise”), from tra- (“across”) + vestire (“to dress”), from Latin vestiō (“to clothe, dress”), from Proto-Italic *westis (“clothing”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis (“dressing”) from verbal root *wes- (“to dress, clothe”); cognate to English wear. Doublet of travesti.
- To make a travesty of; to parody.