Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: French
Origin: travesti 'having the usual appearance changed', from travestir 'to disguise', from Italian travestire, from tra- 'across' (from Latin trans-) + vestire 'to clothe'

travesty

 noun
     
trav‧es‧ty plural travesties [countable usually singular]
used in order to say that something is extremely bad and is not what it is claimed to be:
Their marriage was a complete travesty.
travesty of
O'Brien described his trial as a travesty of justice.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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