411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Messalinian
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
From en w:Messalina ian.
Adjective
Reminiscent of Messalina; scheming and lascivious.
en 1794 w:Mary Wollstonecraft An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution The infamous transaction of the necklace , with her messalinian feasts at Trianon, made her the common mark of ridicule and satire.
en 1859 Berkeley Aikin The Dean [T]he fine features were lost in superabundant fat, and the expression of them was such as I care not to defile my pen by describing, unless I call it Messalinian .
en 2003 w:Simon Sebag Montefiore Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar [S]he admitted that ‘in my personal life, there have been mistakes about which I could tell you, and all of it because of jealousy.’ Stalin doubtless already knew all her Messalinian exploits.