- (often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus
- any drunken revelry
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bacchanalia /ˌbækəˈneɪlɪə/ pl n
Bac•cha•na•li•a
(bak′ə nā′lē ə, -nāl′yə),USA pronunciation n., pl. -li•a, -li•as.
bac′cha•na′li•an, adj., n.
bac′cha•na′li•an•ism, n.
- Antiquity(sometimes used with a pl. v.) a festival in honor of Bacchus. Cf. Dionysia.
- (l.c.) a drunken feast;
orgy.
- Latin equivalent. to Bacch(us) + -ān(us) -an + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al1; probably modeled on volcānālia. See Saturnalia
- 1625–35
bac′cha•na′li•an•ism, n.
'bacchanalia' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):