Also 7–8 -ti, 7–9 -tie. [Originally a. F. travesti, fem. travestie, pa. pple. of (se) travestir (Montaigne a. 1592), ‘to disguise him, or take on another man’s habit’ (Cotgr.), ad. It. travestire to disguise (Florio), f. tra- = TRANS- + It., L. vestīre to clothe. The adoption from It. in 16th-c. accounts for the retention of s in Fr., as opposed to vêtir, revêtir. Made known in England in the title of Scarron’s Le Virgile Travesty en vers burlesques (= Vergil travestied in burlesque verses), 1648, whence occasionally in other connections, and at length as a sb., used first in Scarron’s sense, and later in the etymological one.]
A. ppl. a. Dressed so as to be made ridiculous; burlesqued. (Const. as pa. pple.) Obs. or only as F.
c. 1662. Davenant, Play House to Let, I. i. What think you Of Romances travesti … Burlesque and Travesti? These are hard words, And may be French, but not Law-French.
1664. Cotton (title), Scarronides: or, Virgile Travestie. A Mock-Poem. Being the First Book of Virgils Æneis in English, Burlésque.
1672. J. Phillips (title), Maronides, or Virgil Travestie: Being a New Paraphrase upon the Fifth Book of Virgils Æneids in Burlesque Verse.
1673. O. Walker, Educ., II. iii. 245. Virgil we have seen publickly, and even the holy Writings we heard to have been, travesty.
a. 1774. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), II. 130. One may laugh heartily at Virgil travestie, without either despising Cotton, or abating one’s admiration of Virgil.
B. sb. 1. A literary composition that aims at exciting laughter by burlesque or ludicrous treatment of a serious work; literary composition of this kind; hence, a grotesque or debased imitation or likeness; a caricature.
1674. Butler, Hud., I. III. Annot. 196. This Vickars … translated Virgils Æneides into as horrible Travesty in earnest, as the French Scaroon did in Burlesque.
1751. Warburton, Note Pope’s Dunc., II. 268. Accusing him … on a mere report from Edm. Curl, that he was Author of a Travestie on the first Psalm.
1789. Belsham, Ess., II. xxxvi. 300. It … has sometimes the effect of a ludicrous travesti of the Odyssey.
1846. Wright, Ess. Mid. Ages, I. v. 178. Those romances were but barbarous travesties of the original stories.
1871. Farrar, Witn. Hist., ii. 73. The vulgar travesty of a miracle alleged to have been wrought by a coarse soldier.
2. In etymological sense: An alteration of dress or appearance; a disguise. rare.
1732. Sir C. Wogan, Lett. to Swift, 27 Feb. My design was to have travelled … incognito.… But all my art and travestie was vain.
1823. Byron, Juan, V. lxxiv. ‘At least,’ said Juan, ‘sure I may inquire The cause of this odd travesty?’
