Corybant

[ kawr-uh-bant, kor- ]

noun

, plural Cor·y·ban·tes [kawr-, uh, -, ban, -teez, kor-], Cor·y·bants.

1. Classical Mythology. any of the spirits or secondary divinities attending Cybele with wild music and dancing.
2. an ancient Phrygian priest of Cybele.

Corybant

/ ˈkɒrɪˌbænt /

noun

1. classical myth a wild attendant of the goddess Cybele

Derived Forms

• ˌCoryˈbantian, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Corybant¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin Corybant- (stem of Corybās ) < Greek Korybant- (stem of Korýbās )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Corybant¹

C14: from Latin Corybās, from Greek Korubas, probably of Phrygian origin

Example Sentences

This bulletin to tell thee, O my raging corybant, that thy cause hath ceased to prosper for the past three days.

From Project Gutenberg

Corybant, kor′i-bant, n. a priest of Cybele, whose rites were accompanied with noisy music and wild dances:—Eng. pl.

From Project Gutenberg

The gold figure of a Cybele in a gold chariot raced with eight reproductions of herself in an octagonal mirror-lined foyer, and a steady stream of Corybantes bought admission tickets at twenty-five cents a Corybant.

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, to my way of thinking, the man on the Stock Exchange and the demagogue on the stump, for instance, are brothers to the blatant corybant.”

From Project Gutenberg

That's not sane, you know—it's the intoxication of the Corybant!

From Project Gutenberg