Fescennĭa, ae, f. (also Fescennĭ-um, ii, n., Serv. Verg. A. 7, 695),
I an ancient but small city of Etruria , on the Tiber , not far from Falerii , famous for a sort of sportive and jeering dialogues in verse named after it , Plin. 3, 5, 8, § 52; Serv. l. l.; v. Dennis, Etrur. 1, p. 152 sq. (acc. to Gell. and Müll. the modern Civita Castellana; acc. to Dennis, near Borghetto).—
II Deriv.: Fescennīnus , a, um, adj., of or belonging to Fescennia , Fescennine : acies, Verg. A. 7, 695: Fescennina per hunc inventa licentia morem Versibus alternis opprobria rustica fudit, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 145: versus, Liv. 7, 2, 7; Paul. ex Fest. p. 85 Müll.: locutio, Cat. 61, 127: materia, Sid. Ep. 8, 11: pes, i. e. an amphimacer , Diom. p. 475 P.—Subst.: Fescennīni , ōrum, m., Fescennine verses , Fescennines , Macr. S. 2, 4: nuptiales, Sen. Contr. 3, 21 med. p. 252 Bip.; Plin. 15, 22, 24, § 86.—Also. Fescen-nīna , ōrum, n. (sc. carmina, Prud. Cont. Symm. 1, 261; Mart. Cap. 9, § 914 (the derivation of these Fescennini from fascinum seems improbable).—
B Transf., Fe-scennīnus , i, m., a lampooner : spatiator atque Fescenninus, Cato ap. Fest. s. v. spatiatorem, p. 344 Müll.; Macr. S. 2, 10, 9.