maenad
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maenad
- /ˈmiːnæd/ UK
- /ˈmaɪ-/ UK
- /ˈmiˌnæd/ US
- /ˈmaɪ-/ US
Where it comes from
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”).
noun maenads · maenades · mænad · menad
- A female follower of Dionysus (“the god of wine”), associated with intense revelling. VVild yuie) for it is dedicated to Bacchus & therefore it is ſayd that the Mænades (that is Bacchus franticke prieſtes) vſed in theyr ſacrifice to carry Thyrſos, vvhich vvere pointed ſtaues or Iauelins, vvrapped about vvith yuie.
- An excessively emotional or wild woman. Blanche Stroeve was in the cruel grip of appetite. Perhaps she hated Strickland still, but she hungered for him, and everything that had made up her life till then became of no account. She ceased to be a woman, complex, kind and petulant, considerate and thoughtless; she was a Maenad. She was desir
Translations
Talk about this word "maenad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/maenad. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. maenad. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/maenad "maenad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/maenad.Cite this
@misc{maenad_2026,
title = {maenad},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/maenad},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
