fabula praetexta
noun
fabula prae·tex·ta
-prēˈtekstə-
variants or less commonly fabula praetextata
-(ˌ)prēˌtekˈstätə,
-ātə
plural fabulae praetextae
-ˌstē
: an ancient Roman drama with a theme from Roman history or legend
Word History
Etymology
Latin, literally, drama in praetextae; from the praetextae worn by the actors