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 ?
female-centred pagan forces which threaten to enact a maenadic frenzy
Ultimately, the question is whether these representations have any relationship to reality or actual maenadic practice.
Part of the attraction of Maenadic worship was in the rite of oreibasia, the revel on the mountains where those repressed emotional energies could have free play.
Flanked by a team of tony collaborators (translator Nicholas Rudall, choreographer David Neumann, dramaturg James Leverett and lighting designer Jennifer Tipton), Akalaitis envisages an outdoor Bacchae whose maenadic ecstasies and horrific darkness will be just as exultant and dangerous indoors, when it transfers to D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company in late September.
In Levy's poem, however, Xantippe's maenadic fury marks the beginning of her life as a shrew, not her constant venom.
Rock star Jim Morrison is directly equated with Dionysus as a shamanistic figure who indulges in excess and drives women to maenadic frenzy.
His problem is how to control that image, to make a poem out of a potential maenadic monster.
(31.) John Clubbe, "Carlyle's Subliminal Feminine: Maenadic Chaos in The French Revolution," Carlyle Studies Annual 16 (1996), 77.
Wisely, in the brief rehearsal time allotted to them before this season began, Capucilli, Dakin, and their assistants developed a chorus that performed with maenadic power and unity.