A.Word.A.Day --dionysian

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Dionysian

PRONUNCIATION:

(dy-uh-NISH-uhn, -NIS-ee-uhn)

MEANING:

adjective: Uninhibited; undisciplined; spontaneous; wild; orgiastic.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility in Greek mythology. He was a son of Zeus and considered the opposite of his brother, Apollo. His Roman equivalent is Bacchus. Earliest documented use: before 1610.

USAGE:

"Nigella Lawson, who tends towards the indulgent side, revels in the wickedness of dionysian excess."
Doug Anderson; Television; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Nov 29, 2011.

See more usage examples of dionysian in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock. -Ben Hecht, screenwriter, playwright, novelist, director, and producer (1894-1964)

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