Bona Dea

American  

[boh-nuh dee-uh, dey-uh] / ˈboʊ nə ˈdi ə, ˈdeɪ ə /

noun

1. an ancient Roman goddess of chastity and fertility.

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Etymology

Origin of Bona Dea

< Latin: literally, (the) Good Goddess

Example Sentences

Caesar’s second wife, Pompeia, was in charge of a rite for the goddess Bona Dea, a ceremony for women only, performed in Caesar’s house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2018

The 39 settings commemorate mythic or real women, goddesses and culture heroines, from the Bona Dea of prehistory to Georgia O'Keeffe.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was a set of mysteries at Athens, called Thesmophoria, and one at Rome, called the mysteries of the Bona Dea, which were celebrated by married women only.

From The Humbugs of the World An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages by Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)

A picture of the shameful Clodius at the feast of Bona Dea arose before me.

From The Orchard of Tears by Rohmer, Sax

The mysteries of the Bona Dea became, however, after a time, the occasion of great disorders.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 1 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole