pageant
pageant Lexical Profile
pageant Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A competition in which contestants are judged on their physical appearance, personality, and talent.
"She won a college scholarship after competing in the state beauty pageant."
A public entertainment consisting of a procession of people in elaborate, colorful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene.
"The town organized an annual summer pageant to reenact its founding in the eighteenth century."
Something considered as an elaborate, varied, or grand display or succession of events, often perceived as superficial or illusory.
"The novel portrays the rich pageant of human history across three turbulent centuries."
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English pagyn ('a scene in a medieval mystery play'), from Anglo-Latin pagina, likely derived from Latin pagina ('page' or 'trellis') or pangere ('to fasten together'), referring to the movable wooden stage or wagon on which the plays were performed.