noun, plural Bac·cha·na·li·a, Bac·cha·na·li·as.
- (sometimes used with a plural verb) a festival in honor of Bacchus.Compare Dionysia.
- (lowercase) a drunken feast; orgy.
pl n
- (often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus
- any drunken revelry
“drunken revelry,” 1630s, from the name of the Roman festival held in honor of Bacchus, from neuter plural of Latin bacchanalis (see bacchanal). A participant is a Bacchant (1690s), fem. Bacchante, from French. The plural of both is Bacchantes.