ménade

\me.nad\

/\me.nad\/ noun

The verdict

“ménade” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bacchante, femme qui célébrait les fêtes de Bacchus et se livrait à un délire qui allait jusqu’à la fureur.

Corpus desk

Index FR-menade · ménade · French

ménade · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for ménade
PropertyValue
Headwordménade
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\me.nad\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « ménade » en français

ménadesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ménade is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \me.nad\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

ménade doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ménade, spelled M-É-N-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bacchante, femme qui célébrait les fêtes de Bacchus et se livrait à un délire qui allait jusqu’à la fureur.
  2. 2
    Femme méchante ou emportée.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ménade appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ainsi, en avril 1925, après une visite aux Ballets russes à Monte-Carlo, le peintre exécute un grand tableau, la Danse, qu’il modifie en apprenant la mort de son ami de jeunesse, Ramón Pichot. … La figure de ménade déchaînée à gauche pourrait être la femme de Pichot, Germaine.
  2. Pierre coiffa sa femme d’un chapeau bordé de fourrure, l’enroula dans le manteau d’ocelot qu’il venait de lui acheter et qui lui donnait l’air d’une ménade (d’une ménade avec toute sa tête), et l’entraîna vivement dehors.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ménade"?
"ménade" is spelled M-É-N-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \me.nad\.
What does "ménade" mean?
As a noun, "ménade" means: Bacchante, femme qui célébrait les fêtes de Bacchus et se livrait à un délire qui allait jusqu’à la fureur.
How do you pronounce "ménade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ménade" is \me.nad\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ménade" come from?
"ménade" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list