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Lu·per·ca·li·a

(l′pər-kālē-ə, -kālyə)

A fertility festival in ancient Rome, celebrated on February 15 in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus.

[Latin Lupercālia, from Lupercus, Roman god of flocks.]

Lu′per·cali·an adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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