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satyr

 - 5 dictionary results

sa⋅tyr

[sey-ter, sat-er]
–noun
1. Classical Mythology. one of a class of woodland deities, attendant on Bacchus, represented as part human, part horse, and sometimes part goat and noted for riotousness and lasciviousness.
2. a lascivious man; lecher.
3. a man who has satyriasis.
4. Also, sa⋅tyr⋅id [sey-ter-id, sat-er-, suh-tahy-rid] . Also called satyr butterfly. any of several butterflies of the family Satyridae, having gray or brown wings marked with eyespots.

Origin:
1325–75; ME < L satyrus < Gk sátyros


sa⋅tyr⋅ic [suh-tir-ik] , sa⋅tyr⋅i⋅cal, adjective
sa⋅tyr⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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sa·tyr   (sā'tər, sāt'ər)   
n.  
  1. often Satyr Greek Mythology A woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry.

  2. A licentious man; a lecher.

  3. A man who is affected by satyriasis.

  4. Any of various butterflies of the family Satyridae, having brown wings marked with eyelike spots.


[Middle English satire, from Old French, from Latin satyrus, from Greek saturos.]
sa·tyr'ic (sā-tîr'ĭk, sə-), sa·tyr'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

satyr [(say-tuhr)]

[Roman name faun]

A creature in classical mythology who was part man and part goat. Satyrs were famous for being constantly drunk and for chasing nymphs. They were companions of Dionysus.

Note: By extension, a “satyr” is a lecherous male.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

satyr 
woodland deity, companion of Bacchus, c.1374, from L. satyrus, from Gk. satyros, of unknown origin. In pre-Roman Gk. art, a man-like being with the tail and ears of a horse; the modern conception of a being part man, part goat, is from Roman sculptors, who seem to have assimilated them to the fauns of native mythology. In some Eng. bibles used curiously to translate Heb. se'irim, a type of hairy monster superstitiously believed to inhabit deserts.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Bible Dictionary

Satyr

hairy one. Mentioned in Greek mythology as a creature composed of a man and a goat, supposed to inhabit wild and desolate regions. The Hebrew word is rendered also "goat" (Lev. 4:24) and "devil", i.e., an idol in the form of a goat (17:7; 2 Chr. 11:15). When it is said (Isa. 13:21; comp. 34:14) "the satyrs shall dance there," the meaning is that the place referred to shall become a desolate waste. Some render the Hebrew word "baboon," a species of which is found in Babylonia.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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