BACCHANALIAN Meaning and
Definition
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Bacchanalian is an adjective derived from the noun "Bacchanal," which refers to a wild, drunken celebration or orgy, originally associated with the ancient Roman festival of Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry. When describing a person, event, or behavior as bacchanalian, it signifies a scene or atmosphere characterized by unrestrained indulgence, excessive merriment, and unbridled debauchery.
In such a context, a bacchanalian gathering can be marked by excessive drinking, dancing, loud music, and promiscuity. The term often implies a lack of inhibition or restraint, with participants giving in to their most primal desires and craving bodily pleasures.
The adjective bacchanalian can also suggest an intense and chaotic festivity, reminiscent of the Dionysian celebrations in ancient Greece. The word may be used metaphorically to describe excessive hedonism, decadence, or riotous behavior in general, without necessarily implying a literal celebration.
As an illustrative instance, one might describe a lavish party where guests are openly engaging in drunken revelry and engaging in uninhibited behavior as a bacchanalian affair. Similarly, a narrative or artistic work may be characterized as having a bacchanalian atmosphere if it portrays scenes of extreme revelry, licentiousness, or hedonism.
Overall, the term bacchanalian conveys the sense of an extravagant and frenzied celebration, often associated with excessive drinking, reckless behavior, and hedonistic pleasure-seeking.
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• One who indulges to excess in intoxicating drinks; one engaged in noisy and drunken revels.
• Riotous; pertaining to revelling and drinking.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for BACCHANALIAN
Etymology of BACCHANALIAN
The word "bacchanalian" is derived from the name "Bacchus", which is the Latin name for the Greek god of wine and revelry, Dionysus. The ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus was known as the "Bacchanalia", where people would engage in excessive drinking, music, dancing, and other forms of wild revelry. Over time, the term "bacchanalian" came to be associated with any wild, drunken, or orgiastic behavior, and it eventually entered into English usage to describe such festivities and the corresponding behavior.
Similar spelling words for BACCHANALIAN
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