maenad

[ mee-nad ]

/ ˈmi næd /

noun

bacchante.

a frenzied or raging woman.

Nearby words

maebashi, maebelle, maecenas, mael, maelstrom, maenad, maera, maestoso, maestricht, maestro, maestro di cappella

Origin of maenad

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

Related forms

mae·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 Forms

maenadic, 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