Pronunciation: ' mär-d ē - ˌ grä, in New Orleans commonly - ˌ gro ̇
Function: noun
Etymology: F, literally, fat Tuesday
Date: 1699
1 a : Shrove Tuesday often observed (as in New Orleans) with parades and festivities b : a carnival period climaxing on Shrove Tuesday
2 : a festive occasion resembling a pre-Lenten Mardi Gras