sybarite
/ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/
Etymology
The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin Sybarīta + English -ite (suffix forming demonyms). Sybarīta is derived from Ancient Greek Σῠβᾰρῑ́της (Sŭbărī́tēs, “(noun) inhabitant of Sybaris; (adjective) decadent; self-indulgent”), from Σῠ́βᾰρῐς (Sŭ́bărĭs, “Sybaris”) + -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs, suffix forming demonyms)). Sybaris, a city of Magna Graecia (the coastal parts of Sicily and southern Italy once colonized by Greek settlers), was known for its wealth and the excesses and hedonism of its inhabitants.
The adjective is derived from the noun.
sybarite means synonym of sybaritic (“of or having the qualities of a sybarite; dedicated to excessive comfort and enjoyment; decadent, hedonistic, self-indulgent”). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
sybarite is pronounced /ˈsɪbəɹaɪt/.
Why “sybarite” is a great word
SYBARITE — [Noun, Adjective] A person devoted to luxury and sensual pleasure, or characteristic of such a decadent, hedonistic lifestyle. From Latin Sybarīta, from Ancient Greek Σῠβᾰρῑ́της (Subarī́tēs, "inhabitant of Sybaris; decadent person"), from Σῠ́βᾰρῐς (Súbaris, "Sybaris", a famously wealthy and hedonistic ancient Greek city) + -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs, suffix forming demonyms). The adjective is derived from the noun. First recorded in English in the 1600s. Unlike a general "hedonist," who may pursue any pleasure, or an "ascetic," its disciplined antithesis, a sybarite is a connoisseur of cultivated, costly excess. It is the texture of silk sheets against sun-warmed skin, the deliberate stirring of honey into chilled wine, the scent of roses in a steam-filled bath—a devotion to sensation so acute it becomes a quiet, exquisite form of worship.
adj
- Synonym of sybaritic (“of or having the qualities of a sybarite; dedicated to excessive comfort and enjoyment; decadent, hedonistic, self-indulgent”).
noun
- A person devoted to luxury and pleasure; a hedonist.“Although the proud lord clothed himself // In purple robes and gem-stones white, // Yet Nero grew to all men’s hate // A wild and cruel sybarite.”
- A native or inhabitant of Sybaris.