mafficking means extravagant rejoicings of a multitude. It carries an Arena rating of 1553, earned across 31 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mafficking ranks #412 of 13,275 for Most Storied Words, #803 of 13,275 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,153 of 13,275 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,328 of 13,275 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “mafficking” is a great word
Extravagant, boisterous, and often unruly public rejoicing by a large crowd, coined in 1900 from Mafeking (now Mahikeng, a South African city), after the widespread, riotous celebrations in Britain following the relief of its siege in May 1900. Unlike revelry, which suggests a general lively noise, or jubilation, which implies a more dignified triumph, mafficking captures the specific moment collective relief erupts into civic chaos. It is the image of a flag torn from a pole to become a drunken cape, the acrid scent of bonfires fed by hastily grabbed timber, and the roar of a thousand untethered voices swallowing the chimes of church bells—a brief, sanctioned madness where the social contract is drowned out by the roar of the mob.
Etymology
From Mafeking (now known as Mahikeng), a city in South Africa. After the Siege of Mafeking was lifted in 1900, there were immense celebrations in Britain; the word mafficking was used to describe these celebrations.
noun
- Extravagant rejoicings of a multitude.
Words closest in meaning
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