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 /
noun
a follower of Bacchus.
a drunken reveler.
an occasion of drunken revelry; orgy; bacchanalia.
adjective
pertaining to Bacchus; bacchanalian.
Nearby words
baccalaureate sermon, baccalauréat, baccarat, baccate, bacchae, bacchanal, bacchanalia, bacchanalian, bacchant, bacchante, bacchantes
Origin of bacchanal
1530–40; < Latin Bacchānāl, equivalent to Bacch(us) + -ānāl, probably as back formation from Bacchānālia; see Bacchanalia
SYNONYMS FOR bacchanal
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
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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