bakchoi means In the Eleusinian Mysteries, the branches that initiates swung along the ground along the Sacred Way, the 22-kilometer pilgrimage from Athens to Eleusis. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why this word is great
BAKCHOI — [Noun] The supple branches, often of myrtle or poplar, rhythmically swung against the earth by initiates during the pilgrimage along the Sacred Way to Eleusis. From Ancient Greek βάκχοι (bákkhoi), plural of βάκχος (bákkhos), meaning "an initiate of Bacchus (Dionysus)" or "one who is frenzied," from the name Βάκχος (Bákkhos), the god Dionysus. Unlike the formal 'thyrsus'—a pine-cone-tipped staff signifying divine possession—or the title 'mystes'—which names the initiate proper—'bakchoi' refers to the simple, animated tools of the procession itself. It is the green swish against the white dust, the percussive rustle rising in a hypnotic chorus, and the scent of crushed leaves released into the sun-warmed air—a humble, kinetic piety that turned walking into a liturgy of worn earth and weary, exalted feet.
noun
- In the Eleusinian Mysteries, the branches that initiates swung along the ground along the Sacred Way, the 22-kilometer pilgrimage from Athens to Eleusis.