maenad

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mae·nad

 (mē′năd′)
n.
1. Greek Mythology A woman member of the orgiastic cult of Dionysus.
2. A frenzied woman.

[Latin Maenas, Maenad-, from Greek mainas, raving, madwoman, Maenad, from mainesthai, to be mad; see men- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

maenad

(ˈmiːnæd) or

menad

n
1. (Classical Myth & Legend) classical myth a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysus; bacchante
2. a frenzied woman
[C16: from Latin Maenas, from Greek mainas madwoman]
maeˈnadic adj
maeˈnadically adv
ˈmaenadism n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mae•nad

(ˈmi næd)

n.
2. a frenzied or raging woman.
[1570–80; < Latin Maenad- (s. of Maenas) < Greek Mainás a bacchante, literally, madwoman]
mae•nad′ic, adj.
mae′nad•ism, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.maenad - an unnaturally frenzied or distraught woman
adult female, woman - an adult female person (as opposed to a man); "the woman kept house while the man hunted"
2.maenad - (Greek mythology) a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysusmaenad - (Greek mythology) a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysus
Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks
adult female, woman - an adult female person (as opposed to a man); "the woman kept house while the man hunted"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
He underscores the connection by referring to the goddess's home as the place "where the Maenads with their crowns of ivy fiercely toss their heads" (ubi capita Maenades pi iaciunt hederigerae, 23).
If Pentheus experiences anagnorisis, that moment of recognition of the truth revealed to the protagonist in tragedy, his must be sudden, panicked, and brief, in the moment when his mother and her sister maenades tear him, literally, to pieces.
mora tarda mente cedat; simul ite, sequimini Phrygia ad domum Cybelles, Phrygia ad nemora deae, 20 ubi cymbalum sonat vox, ubi tympana reboant, tibicen ubi canit Phryx curvo grave calamo, ubi capita Maenades vi iaciunt ederigerae, ubi sacra sancta acutis ululatibus agitant, ubi suevit illa divae volitare vaga cohors: 25 quo nos decet citatis celerare tripudiis.