vicennalia

V4I1C3E1N1N1A1L1I1A1

noun

The festival and religious rituals celebrating a Roman emperor's 20th year of rule.

Scrabble 15

Meanings

vicennalia1

nounvicennalia (plural vicennalia or vicennalias)

plural vicennalias · alternative Vicennalia

  1. historicalThe festival and religious rituals celebrating a Roman emperor's 20th year of rule.

    Apart from the Vicennalia, 136 was an eventful year for the imperial family: the serious illness of Hadrian in the spring, the adoption of Aelius in the summer and the death and consecration of Sabina at the end of the year.

    1971, P.V. Hill, "The Dating and Arrangement of Hadrian's COS III", Mints, Dies and Currency, p. 52
    2 more examples

    The exact timing of the tenth and twentieth anniversaries, the decennalia and the vicennalia, has already been discussed at length. The most straightforward solution, that it took place on the emperor's dies imperii ten years after the accession, has its adherents. However, a date earlier in the year, perhaps even the day of the beginning of the tenth year, may also be considered—at least in the second century AD.

    2005, Jakob Munk Højte, Roman Imperial Statue Bases from Augustus to Commodus, p. 157

    As a chronological list of Roman emperors makes clear, several rulers reign long enough to enjoy their decennalia, but relatively few were fortunate enough to celebrate their vicennalia, their twentieth imperial anniversary; and from the second century onwards Constantine alone ruled long enough to celebrate a tricennalia.

    2012, Gary Forsythe, "Magna Mater and the Taurobolium", Time in Roman Religion, p. 111

    Synonyms: vicennial, vicennials

Vicennalia2

nounVicennalia pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyAlternative letter-case form of vicennalia.

    Apart from the Vicennalia, 136 was an eventful year for the imperial family: the serious illness of Hadrian in the spring, the adoption of Aelius in the summer and the death and consecration of Sabina at the end of the year.

    1971, P.V. Hill, "The Dating and Arrangement of Hadrian's COS III", Mints, Dies and Currency, p. 52

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe festival and religious rituals celebrating a Roman emperor's 20th year of rule.

Origin

  1. Latinvīcennālia
  2. Englishvicennalia

From Latin vīcennālia, from vīcennium (“20-year period”) + -ālia (“-alia: forming the names of festivals”), from vicennis (“20-year”) + -ium (“forming abstract nouns”), from vīciēs (“twenty each”) + annus (“year”) + -is (“forming compound adjectives”). Equivalent to vicennium + -alia.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French vicennales
  • vicennalesTranslations
Italian vicennali
  • vicennaliTranslations
Latin vīcennālia
  • vīcennāliaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

vicennalia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicennalia

MLA

“vicennalia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicennalia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vicennalia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicennalia.

Source: vicennalia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.