travesty en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- trăvʹəs-tē
- trăvʹĭs-tē
- /ˈtɹæv.əs.ti/
- /ˈtɹæv.ɪs.ti/
- (US) audio
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.
Meanings
-
An absurd, grotesque, misrepresentative or grossly inferior likeness or imitation.
In 1844, objection was raised to the Furness Railway's Dalton & Barrow line, when it was revealed that the line would pass directly through Furness Abbey. A re-route was achieved, with the line skirting the abbey ruins instead - although many continued to see the intrusion as a travesty against antiquity and the scenic beauty of the site.
2022 January 12, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Castles: ruined and redeemed by rail”, in RAIL, number 948, page 56:A battlefield trial is a travesty of justice.
The second edition is not a recast, but absolutely a travesty of the first.
1845, Thomas De Quincey, William Godwin:
- A pastiche, parody, or stylistic imitation; a burlesque literary or artistic imitation (typically of a more serious work).
-
(proscribed, sometimes) 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.
2018 February 10, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 0 Arsenal”, in BBC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| travesties | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
Relateds
trans- · wear · vest · revetment · farce · vestry · transvestite
Synonyms
Translations (33)
pl karykatura (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · de Farce (parody or stylistic imitation) · fo keipuleikur (parody or stylistic imitation) · pl trawestacja (grossly inferior imitation) · hu karikatúra (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · fi irvikuva (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · es imitación (pésima) (grossly inferior imitation) · de armselige Karikatur (grossly inferior imitation) · pl trawestacja (parody or stylistic imitation) · bg пародия (parody or stylistic imitation) · no farse (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · pl karykatura (grossly inferior imitation) · pl parodia (parody or stylistic imitation) · fo keipumynd (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · de Travestie (parody or stylistic imitation) · de Zerrbild (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · sv nidbild (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · no karikatur (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · fo avskepling (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · hu paródia (parody or stylistic imitation) · fo avbronglan (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · pl trawestacja (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · hu megcsúfolás (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · no parodi (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · fo herming (parody or stylistic imitation) · es tergiversación absurda / grotesca (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · bg изопачаване (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · de lächerliche Karikatur (parody or stylistic imitation) · hi विडंबना (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · no komedie (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · it farsa (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation) · nl travestie (parody or stylistic imitation) · cs travestie (absurd or grotesque misrepresentation)