Bacchus
/ˈbæk.əs/noun
The Roman god of wine, ecstasy, and ritual frenzy; also used for wine or drunken revelry.
Did you know?The Roman Bacchus was identified with Greek Dionysus, and his mysteries were tied to ecstatic worship so intense that Roman authorities famously tried to suppress them in 186 BCE.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Βάκχος (Bákkhos)
“An epithet and cult-title of Dionysus, associated with ecstatic worship and ritual frenzy”
Classical Latin
Latin
Bacchus
“The Roman name for the god of wine and ecstatic revelry”
Late Latin
Latin
bacchari
“To rave, revel, or act like Bacchus”
Middle English
English
Bacus / Bacchus
“The Roman god Bacchus; by extension, wine or drunken festivity”
Modern English
English
Bacchus
“The Roman god of wine and ecstasy, or a symbol of drunken revelry”