satyr

[ sey-ter, sat-er ]

noun

1. Classical Mythology. one of a class of woodland deities, attendant on Bacchus, represented as part human, part horse, and sometimes part goat and noted for riotousness and lasciviousness.
2. a lascivious man; lecher.
3. a man who has satyriasis.
4. Also sa·tyr·id [] Also called satyr butterfly. any of several butterflies of the family Satyridae, having gray or brown wings marked with eyespots.

satyr

/ ˈsætə; səˈtɪrɪk /

noun

1. Greek myth one of a class of sylvan deities, represented as goatlike men who drank and danced in the train of Dionysus and chased the nymphs
2. a man who has strong sexual desires
3. a man who has satyriasis
4. any of various butterflies of the genus Satyrus and related genera, having dark wings often marked with eyespots: family Satyridae

satyr

1. A creature in classical mythology who was part man and part goat. Satyrs were famous for being constantly drunk and for chasing nymphs . They were companions of Dionysus .

Notes

By extension, a “satyr” is a lecherous male.

Derived Forms

• satyric, adjective
• ˈsatyr-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• sa·tyr·ic [s, uh, -, tir, -ik], sa·tyri·cal adjective
• satyr·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of satyr¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin satyrus < Greek sátyros

Word History and Origins

Origin of satyr¹

C14: from Latin satyrus, from Greek saturos

Example Sentences

Etched with charcoal or black chalk on plaster and measuring about 40 by 50 inches, art historians have identified the figure — who is well built, but a little wizened — as a “triton,” a god of the sea, or a “satyr,” part man part beast.

From New York Times

The lowering into place of the work, titled “Venus with a Nymph and Satyr” at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, came courtesy of a chain pull attached to a huge gantry.

From New York Times

“Venus” was originally created as a fountain, with water spouting out of the carved dolphins below the nymph and satyr.

From New York Times

Grover, it turns out, is a satyr, charged with protecting Percy; Mr. Brunner is really a centaur named Chiron.

From Los Angeles Times

Here, with his dopey expressions fused to a satyr’s body, he makes you nervous the way Malcolm McDowell did after he was reformed in “A Clockwork Orange.”

From Los Angeles Times