maenad

[mee-nad]

noun

1. bacchante.

2. a frenzied or raging woman.

maenad

/ ˈmiːnæd /

noun

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

2. a frenzied woman

Other Word Forms

• maenadic adjective
• maenadism noun
• maenadically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of maenad¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maenad¹

C16: from Latin Maenas, from Greek mainas madwoman

Example Sentences

Ms. Pasternak had met Mr. Reynolds years earlier, when she curated his work at a gallery in Hartford, Conn., and appeared as a one of the maenads in “The Banquet.”

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In high school I frequently conflated the Furies with maenads, female worshippers of Dionysus who whipped themselves into a primal ecstasy before ripping apart a sacrifice, be it a bull or a man.

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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.

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Other mythological figures, like cupids, maenads and satyrs, also appeared in the public part of the house “as though part of a Dionysian retinue,” he said, referring to the Greek god of wine and revelry.

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Like maenads, they set upon men who have wandered onto the property, giving chase, “their bare arms are covered with scratches, their legs streaked with rainwater.”

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