maenad
UK /ˈmiːnæd/ · US /ˈmiˌnæd/ noun
Forms maenads maenades mænad menad
- noun (Greek mythology, also attributive) A female follower of Dionysus (“the god of wine”), associated with intense revelling.
- noun (by extension, literary, derogatory) An excessively emotional or wild woman.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin Maenad- (“frenzied female follower of Bacchus”), root of Maenās, from Ancient Greek μαινάς (mainás, “raving, frantic”), from μαίνομαι (maínomai, “to be mad, to rage”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to mind; to think; spiritual activity”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “maenad”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details