Bacchante noun & adjective. ['bak(ǝ)nt, bǝ'kant, bǝ'kanti] Also bacchante. L18.
[French, from Latin bacchant- pres. ppl stem of bacchari celebrate the feast of Bacchus (in Latin only in fem. pl. bacchantes).]
A. noun. A priestess or female devotee of Bacchus, the Greek and Roman god of wine. L18.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a Bacchante. E19.

► The second pronunc. is after French; the third is after Italian, influenced by the freq. English pl. (of both genders) Bacchantes after Latin.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲