# maenad

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmiːnæd/

## Definitions
1. A female follower of Dionysus (“the god of wine”), associated with intense revelling.
2. An excessively emotional or wild woman.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English *menadyen (attested in the plural form menadyens) + English -ad (suffix forming names of nymphs). *Menadyen is derived from Latin maenad-, a stem of maenās (“follower of Bacchus, bacchant”), from Ancient Greek μαινάς (mainás, “frantic; raving”), from μαίνομαι (maínomai, “to be mad, out of one’s mind, raving”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to mind; to think; spiritual activity”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/maenad