maenad

[ mee-nad ]

/ ˈmi næd /

noun

bacchante.

a frenzied or raging woman.

Nearby words

Origin of maenad

1570–80; < Latin Maenad- (stem of Maenas) < Greek Mainás a bacchante, special use of mainás madwoman

Related formsmae·nad·ic, adjectivemae·nad·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for maenad

She flings her arms and tresses of Fire to the stars, a maenad in the planetary dance.
The Masque of the Elements|Herman Scheffauer
She ceased to be a woman, complex, kind and petulant, considerate and thoughtless; she was a Maenad.
The Moon and Sixpence|W. Somerset Maugham
I was in a mind to wring the Maenad's neck three minutes ago.
The History of David Grieve|Mrs. Humphry Ward
There stood the Maenad on her revolving stand, and there was the raised platform for the model.
The History of David Grieve|Mrs. Humphry Ward

These were the eyes of a girl who had raved like a maenad the night through.
A Thorny Path [Per Aspera], Complete|Georg Ebers

British Dictionary definitions for maenad

maenad

menad

/ (ˈmiːnæd) /

noun

classical myth a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysus; bacchante

a frenzied woman

Derived Formsmaenadic, adjectivemaenadically, adverbmaenadism, noun

Word Origin for maenad

C16: from Latin Maenas, from Greek mainas madwoman

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 maenad

maenad

"Bacchante," 1570s, from Greek mainas (genitive mainados) "priestess of Bacchus," literally "madwoman," from stem of mainesthai "to rage, go mad" (see mania).