Stravaganza

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A grand or extravagant event, often characterized by remarkable displays and entertainment
2. An elaborate celebration or performance featuring lavish elements and spectacle
3. A show or festivity marked by extravagance and an abundance of visual or artistic expression

Etymology: Stravaganza entered English in the 17th century from Italian "stravaganza," meaning an extravagance, eccentricity, or oddity, itself derived from "stravagante," "extravagant." That Italian adjective is built from "stra-" ("beyond," from Latin "extra") and "vagante," "wandering," from Latin "vagari," "to wander." So the root sense is literally "wandering outside" or "straying beyond the bounds," which is where the notion of excess comes from: something that goes past the normal limits. In Italian the word kept that flavour of eccentricity and oddness, and English speakers borrowed it with a similar sense of strangeness or whimsy. The meaning of a lavish spectacle with rich visual and artistic display developed later, as the Italian sense of showy, unrestrained excess was applied to festivities and entertainments. The shift from "wandering beyond the bounds" to "a dazzling show" follows the path from strangeness to extravagance.

Synonyms: extravaganza