bacchanalia
/ˌbækəˈneɪli.ə/
bacchanalia means A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus. It carries an Arena rating of 1845, earned across 55 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bacchanalia ranks #26 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #32 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #134 of 40,262 for Qualifying, #242 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
bacchanalia is pronounced /ˌbækəˈneɪli.ə/.
Why “bacchanalia” is a great word
A wild, riotous, and drunken celebration or orgy, especially one in honor of the Roman god of wine, Bacchus. From Latin *Bacchānālia*, neuter plural of *Bacchānalis* ('pertaining to Bacchus'), from *Bacchus*, the Roman god of wine, from Ancient Greek Βάκχος (*Bákkhos*). Unlike 'revelry,' which suggests boisterous but contained festivity, or a 'symposium,' which implies measured drinking for intellectual exchange, a bacchanalia is the sacred permission for ritual abandon. It is the smashed amphora and the trampled vine-leaf, the sticky warmth of wine spilled down the chest, the pulse of drums that mimics the body's frantic rhythm when ecstasy and dread blur. This is not merely celebration, but possession: the kind that leaves behind not memories, but stains.
Etymology
From Latin Bacchānālia (“feast of Bacchus”), plural of Bacchānal (“a place devoted to Bacchus”), from Bacchus (“the god of wine”), from Ancient Greek Βάκχος (Bákkhos).
noun
- A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.
- Any wild, orgiastic party or celebration.e.g.“His sexuality had been an open secret within the industry for decades: his pool parties, described as “blond bacchanalias”, were legendary.”
Words closest in meaning
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