vicennalia

English

An aureus of Severus Alexander commemorating his vicennalia

A nummus of Constantine the Great commemorating his vicennalia

Alternative forms

• Vicennalia

Etymology

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.

Noun

vicennalia (plural vicennalia or vicennalias)

1. (historical) The festival and religious rituals celebrating a Roman emperor's 20th year of rule.
   • 1971, P.V. Hill, "The Dating and Arrangement of Hadrian's COS III", Mints, Dies and Currency, p. 52:

     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.

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

     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.

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

     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.

Synonyms

• vicennial, vicennials

Hypernyms

• jubilee

Coordinate terms

• quinquennalia, decennalia, quindecennalia, tricennalia

Translations

Translations

• French: vicennales (fr)
• Italian: vicennale
• Latin: vīcennālia

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /u̯iː.kenˈnaː.li.a/, [u̯iːkɛnˈnäːlʲiä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /vi.t͡ʃenˈna.li.a/, [vit͡ʃenˈnäːliä]

Etymology 1

Adjective

vīcennālia

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural of vīcennālis

Etymology 2

From vīcennium (“20-year period”) +‎ -ālia (“-alia: forming the names of festivals”), from vīcennis (“20-year”) + -ium (“-ium: forming abstract nouns”), from vīciēs + annus (“year”) + -is (“forming compound adjectives”).

Noun

vīcennālia n pl (genitive vīcennālium or vīcennāliōrum); third declension

1. (historical) vicennalia, the festival and religious rituals celebrating a Roman emperor's 20th year of rule.

   vicennalia imperatorum

   20th anniversary of the emperors

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, “pure” i-stem), plural only.

Case	Plural
Nominative	vīcennālia
Genitive	vīcennālium vīcennāliōrum
Dative	vīcennālibus
Accusative	vīcennālia
Ablative	vīcennālibus
Vocative	vīcennālia

Synonyms

• secundī decennālēs, decennālia altera

Coordinate terms

• quīnquennālia, decennālia, quīndecennālia, trīcennālia

Descendants

• English: vicennalia, vicennial
• Italian: vicennale