Gelage
revelry
Ein langes und sehr großes Essen mit vielen Personen, bei dem meistens übermäßig viel Alkohol getrunken wird.
Definition & meaning
A "Gelage" refers to an extensive and often excessive gathering centered around eating and, most notably, drinking alcohol. It describes a feast or a drinking bout characterized by a lack of restraint and indulgence. The term often carries a slightly negative or boisterous connotation, suggesting a scene of carousing that lasts for a significant amount of time.
While it can simply mean a large feast, in modern usage, it is frequently associated specifically with heavy alcohol consumption (a "drinking session").
Grammar & Word origin
The word is a neuter noun: "das Gelage". The plural form remains the same: "die Gelage".
Etymologically, "Gelage" is derived from the Middle High German word "gelage", which comes from the verb (to lay or to put down). Historically, it referred to the shared contribution or the "laying down" of money and food into a common pool by several people to fund a collective meal or party. Over centuries, the meaning evolved from the act of contributing to the event of the feast itself.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms:
- (specifically focusing on excessive drinking)
- (a drinking bout)
- (a feast or a treat, usually more positive)
- (a formal banquet or feast)
- (an orgy or a scene of excessive indulgence)
- (a formal banquet)
Antonyms:
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Examples
Die Anwohner beschwerten sich lautstark über die nächtlichen Gelage im Stadtpark.noun
The residents complained loudly about the nightly revelry in the city park.
Könnt ihr euch an das ausschweifende Gelage erinnern, das wir vorletztes Jahr nach der Prüfung veranstaltet haben?noun
Can you remember the debauched revelry we organized the year before last after the exam?
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