bacchanal

[ noun bah-kuh-nahl, bak-uh-nal, bak-uh-nl; adjective bak-uh-nl ]

noun

1. a follower of Bacchus.
2. a drunken reveler.
3. an occasion of drunken revelry; orgy; bacchanalia.

   Synonyms: carousal, spree, debauch, saturnalia

adjective

1. pertaining to Bacchus; bacchanalian.

bacchanal

/ ˈbækənəl /

noun

1. a follower of Bacchus
2. a drunken and riotous celebration
3. a participant in such a celebration; reveller

adjective

1. of or relating to Bacchus

Word History and Origins

Origin of bacchanal¹

1530–40; < Latin Bacchānāl, equivalent to Bacch ( us ) + -ānāl, probably as back formation from Bacchānālia; Bacchanalia

Word History and Origins

Origin of bacchanal¹

C16: from Latin Bacchānālis ; see Bacchus

Example Sentences

A zombie outbreak in the Nevada desert turns Sin City into hell in the movie’s opening, launching a darkly funny bacchanal of destruction on the Strip.

From The Daily Beast