noun. A mad extravagance such as Caligula comitted.
Alas! it would be endless to tell you all his Caligulisms.
Letters to Sir Horace Mann, Horace Walpole (1745)
Caligula was a ruler with an appetite for excess. He became emperor of rome in 37 AD and very quickly squandered the state treasury that his predecessor, Tiberius, had amassed… but you already knew that.
Right?
So he liked to party! He was only about 25 when he became emperor and clearly hadn’t outgrown is fratboy phase. Give the guy a break! How good of a ruler can you be when your nickname means “Little Boot”?
This word is in need of a comeback, or any life at all; there doesn’t seem to be any record of its use other than the above citation. Despite our economic situation there isn’t a lack of opulence, ostentation, and extravagance in our society. All the rich, drunk, crazy celebrities hitting the front pages need new words to keep the stories fresh.
Journalists, this one’s for you! You’re welcome.