2 definitions
for bacchanalia
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Bacchanalia \Bac`cha*na"li*a\ (b[a^]k`k[.a]*n[=a]"l[i^]*[.a]),
n. pl. [L. Bacchanal a place devoted to Bacchus; in the pl.
Bacchanalia a feast of Bacchus, fr. Bacchus the god of wine,
Gr. Ba`kchos.]
[1913 Webster]
1. (Myth.) A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence: A drunken feast; drunken revels; an orgy.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 :
Bacchanalia
n 1: an orgiastic festival in ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus
(= Bacchus) [syn: Dionysia]
2: a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and
promiscuity [syn: orgy, debauch, debauchery, saturnalia,
riot, bacchanal, drunken revelry]
