mardi gras

Definition of Mardi Gras in English :

the last day before Lent

2. fat tuesday, mardi gras

a carnival held in some countries on Shrove Tuesday (the last day before Lent) but especially in New Orleans

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Mardi Gras

noun

the festival of Shrove Tuesday, celebrated in some cities with great revelry

1.

Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent: it is a day of merrymaking and carnival, as in New Orleans, often marking the climax of a carnival period

2.

carnival (sense 1)

n.

1.

a. Shrove Tuesday, celebrated as a holiday in many places with carnivals, masquerade balls, and parades of costumed merrymakers.

b. A carnival period coming to a climax on this day.

2. An occasion of great festivity and merrymaking.