fabula praetexta

noun

fabula prae·​tex·​ta

-prēˈtekstə-

variants or less commonly fabula praetextata

-(ˌ)prēˌtekˈstätə,

-ātə

plural fabulae praetextae

-ˌstē

: an ancient Roman drama with a theme from Roman history or legend

Word History

Etymology

Latin, literally, drama in praetextae; from the praetextae worn by the actors

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