travesty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtɹæv.ɪs.ti/^[1]

Etymology

It comes from an obsolete adjective travesty “disguised, burlesqued”,^[2][3][4][5] from French travesti, the past participle of travestir “to disguise”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Italian travestire,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from tra- “across” (Latin trāns-) and Latin vestīre (“to clothe”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It is related to vest and transvestite.^[3][5][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A burlesque treatment of a serious literary work (1674).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The Century Dictionary, cited by Etymonline, distinguishes a travesty, which keeps the characters and subject but makes the language absurd, from a parody, which imitates the style with different subject matter.^[4] In theatre the word also meant a change of dress, especially into clothing of the opposite sex (1732).^[7] The extended sense of a debased likeness, as in a travesty of justice, is now the most common.^[2][5][6][1]

Timeline

• about 1662 – adjective, burlesqued.^[7][3]
• 1673 – verb, to ridicule by burlesque.^[7][3][5]
• 1674 – noun, a burlesque of a serious work.^[7][3][4][5]
• 1732 – a disguise, especially cross-dressing on stage.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A grotesque or debased imitation or likeness, as in a travesty of justice.
2. An exaggerated or grotesque imitation of a serious work; a parody or burlesque.

Verb

1. To make a travesty of; to parody or ridicule.

Related words

• transvestite
• vest
• parody

Usage notes

Random House refers to burlesque for a discussion and gives mockery, perversion, sham and distortion as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press