maenad
Americannoun
-
classical myth a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysus; bacchante
-
a frenzied woman
Other Word Forms
- maenadic adjective
- maenadically adverb
- maenadism noun
Etymology
Origin of maenad
1570–80; < Latin Maenad- (stem of Maenas ) < Greek Mainás a bacchante, special use of mainás madwoman
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The almost twenty-inch-tall piece of terracotta art depicts a maenad, a Greek mythological figure associated with the Greek god Dionysus.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
It all depends on whether the will to forgive is stronger than the forces driving both fury and maenad: feeling and retribution.
From Salon • Jun. 17, 2021
Their only chance for survival is if Diane can undo what modernity has done to them in turning their rightful maenad madness into mere home-improvement mania.
From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2019
Her maenad chorus wears skirts on the bottom, blazers on top.
From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2018
An almost maenad courage seemed to possess her, as if she were a long, thin, young weapon of life.
From England, My England by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
