Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
orgy - 4 dictionary results

or⋅gy

  [awr-jee]
Use orgy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -gies.
1. wild, drunken or licentious festivity or revelry.
2. any actions or proceedings marked by unbridled indulgence of passions: an orgy of killing.
3. orgies, (in ancient Greece) esoteric religious rituals, esp. in the worship of Demeter or Dionysus, characterized in later times by wild dancing, singing, and drinking.
4. Informal. a boisterous, rowdy party.
Origin:
1580–90; < MF orgie < L orgia (neut. pl.) secret rites < Gk órgia, akin to érgon work
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To orgy
or·gy   (ôr'jē)   
n.   pl. or·gies
  1. A revel involving unrestrained indulgence, especially sexual activity.
  2. Uncontrolled or immoderate indulgence in an activity: an orgy of spending. See Synonyms at binge.
  3. A secret rite in the cults of ancient Greek or Roman deities, typically involving frenzied singing, dancing, drinking, and sexual activity.

[From orgies, secret rites, from Old French, from Latin orgia, from Greek; see werg- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: The word orgy has become connected in the minds of many of us with unrestrained sexual activity, but its origins are much less licentious. We can trace the word as far back as the Indo-European root *werg-, meaning "to do," also the source of our word work. Greek orgia, "secret rites, worship," comes from *worg-, one form of this root. The Greek word was used with reference to the rites practiced in the worship of various deities, such as Orpheus and Dionysus. The word in Greek did not denote sexual activity, although this was a part of some rites. The rites of Dionysus, for example, included only music, dancing, drinking, and the eating of animal sacrifices. Having passed through Latin and Old French into English, the word orgy is first recorded in English with reference to the secret rites of the Greek and Roman religions in 1589. It is interesting to note that the word is first recorded with its modern sense in 18th-century English and perhaps in 17th-century French. Whether this speaks to a greater licentiousness in society or not must be left to the historian, but certainly the religious nature of the word has gone into eclipse.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Orgy

Or"gy\, n.; pl. Orgies. A frantic revel; drunken revelry. See Orgies
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : orgy
Spanish: orgía,
German: die Orgie,
Japanese: お祭り騒ぎ
More Translations »

orgy 
1561, orgies (pl.) "secret rites in the worship of certain Gk. and Roman gods," especially Dionysus, from M.Fr. orgies (c.1500), from L. orgia, from Gk. orgia (pl.) "secret rites," from PIE base *werg- "to work" (see urge (v.)). The singular, orgy, was first used in Eng. 1665 for the extended sense of "any licentious revelry." OED says of the ancient rites that they were "celebrated with extravagant dancing, singing, drinking, etc.," which gives "etc." quite a workout.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see orgy on Thesaurus | Reference