bacchanalian
/ˌbækəˈneɪli.ən/
bacchanalian · adj — of or pertaining to the festival of Bacchus, relating to or given to reveling and drunkenness.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
bacchanalian is pronounced /ˌbækəˈneɪli.ən/.
Why “bacchanalian” is a great word
Of or relating to drunken, riotous, and ecstatic revelry reminiscent of the rites of the god Bacchus. From Latin *Bacchanalia* (the festival of Bacchus, god of wine) + the English adjectival suffix *-an* ('pertaining to'), first attested in the 1560s. Unlike 'convivial,' which suggests cheerful and social enjoyment, or 'saturnalian,' which emphasizes a temporary, role-reversing license, 'bacchanalian' denotes a drunken, unrestrained frenzy specifically tied to the cult of wine. It is the smashed amphora and wine pooling in the mosaic, the torchlight glinting off sweat-slicked skin, the hoarse shout that is half hymn and half howl—the ancient recognition that ecstasy and destruction share the same root.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Bacchanalia + -an.
adj
- Of or pertaining to the festival of Bacchus, relating to or given to reveling and drunkenness.e.g.“Near-synonyms: bacchic, bacchian; Dionysiac, Dionysian; dionysiac, dionysian”
- Of or resembling wild or unrestrained revelry.e.g.“The dancing and shouting of the children around the fire had become even more bacchanalian.” — 1949, George R. Stewart, Part II, Chapter 6, in Earth Abides:
noun
- A bacchanal; a drunken reveler.e.g.“With the help of a sleepy waiter, Little Billee got the bacchanalian into his room and lit his candle for him, and, disengaging himself from his maudlin embraces, left him to wallow in solitude.” — 1894, George du Maurier, “Part Third”, in Trilby: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 165:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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