A Pageant Was Once a Wagon
A pageant is an elaborate public show. The word first meant the wheeled stage that medieval plays were performed on.
A pageant is a spectacular public display, often historical or ceremonial. The medieval original was practical: a *pageant* was the wheeled wagon that carried a guild's scene through the streets, stopping to perform at each station. The stage gave its name to the show, and the show to any grand display.
- An elaborate public show. *A historical pageant.*
- A competition judged on appearance. *A beauty pageant.*
- A wheeled medieval stage (historical). *Each guild had its pageant.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pageant | A village pageant. |
| Plural | pageants | Summer pageants. |
| Noun | pageantry | Royal pageantry. |
| Related | procession | A slow procession. |
| Related | tableau | A living tableau. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The town stages a pageant every summer.Community theatre.
- There was pageantry but little substance.Pageantry means ceremonial display.
- She won a beauty pageant at nineteen.Mainly American usage.
Related spectacles
- Procession — people moving in formal order
- Parade — a procession as public display
- Tableau vivant — a living picture, held still
- Mystery play — the medieval drama pageants carried
- Carnival — a festival with costumes and processions
From Medieval Latin *pagina*, which in this use meant a stage or scaffold, related to the *pagina* meaning a page. The connection is a framework of fixed parts.
What were pageant wagons?
Wheeled stages used in medieval English towns. Each guild built and staffed one, and the wagons moved from place to place performing a cycle of plays.
Pageant or parade?
A parade is a procession. A pageant tells or shows something, usually with costumes, scenes and a theme.