Dictionary.com
definitions

bacchanal

[ noun bah-kuh-nahl, bak-uh-nal, bak-uh-nl; adjective bak-uh-nl ]
/ noun ˌbɑ kəˈnɑl, ˌbæk əˈnæl, ˈbæk ə nl; adjective ˈbæk ə nl /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bacchanal ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

adjective

pertaining to Bacchus; bacchanalian.

RELATED WORDS

carnival, debauch, feast, orgy, party, frolic, reveler

Nearby words

  1. baccalaureate sermon,
  2. baccalauréat,
  3. baccarat,
  4. baccate,
  5. bacchae,
  6. bacchanalia,
  7. bacchanalian,
  8. bacchant,
  9. bacchante,
  10. bacchantes

Origin of bacchanal

1530–40; < Latin Bacchānāl, equivalent to Bacch(us) + -ānāl, probably as back formation from Bacchānālia; see Bacchanalia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for bacchanal

bacchanal

/ (ˈbækənəl) /

noun

a follower of Bacchus
a drunken and riotous celebration
a participant in such a celebration; reveller

adjective

of or relating to Bacchus

Word Origin for bacchanal

C16: from Latin Bacchānālis; see Bacchus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bacchanal

bacchanal

1530s (n.); 1540s (adj.), from Latin bacchanalis "having to do with Bacchus" (see Bacchus). Meaning "riotous, drunken roistering; orgy" is from 1711.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper