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variant spelling of fastnacht
1 : a doughnut made of yeast-leavened dough and traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday
2 usually capitalized
[Pennsylvania German fasnacht & German fastnacht Shrove Tuesday, festival held on Shrove Tuesday, from Middle High German vastnaht, vasnaht Shrove Tuesday] : a festival of Christians of Germanic origin held on the last day before Lent and observed as a time of merrymaking preceding Lenten fasting
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