orgy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɔː.d͡ʒi/ (UK); /ˈɔɹd͡ʒi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It was first used in the plural, borrowed from Middle French orgies,^[2][3][4][5] from Latin orgia,^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ὄργια (órgia, “secret rites”).^[2][3][4][5] This is traditionally connected with ἔργον (érgon, “work”), from Proto-Indo-European *werg- (“to do”) (see work),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} but it may be a foreign word.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the plural, secret rites practised in the worship of Greek and Roman gods, especially Dionysus or Bacchus (1561 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster; 1589 in the OED).^[3][5][7][4]

Semantic evolution

These rites, as in the festivals of Bacchus, were celebrated with frenzied dancing, singing and drinking.^[8][2] From 1598 the word was applied to any rites or secret observances,^[7] and the singular orgy appeared in 1665, in the extended sense of revelry.^[3][4][7] By 1703 it meant wild or dissolute feasting and revelry.^[7][6] The sense of excessive indulgence in any activity, as in an orgy of destruction, followed,^[5][9] and many now connect the word chiefly with unrestrained sexual activity.^[2][10]

Timeline

• 1561 – orgies, secret rites.^[3][5]
• 1598 – any secret observances.^[7]
• 1665 – singular orgy.^[3][7]
• 1698 – orgiastic.^[3]
• 1703 – dissolute revelry.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A wild gathering marked by unrestrained indulgence, especially in sexual activity or drinking.
2. Uncontrolled or immoderate indulgence in an activity, as in an orgy of spending.
3. (historical) A secret rite in the cults of ancient Greek or Roman gods, such as Dionysus, marked by frenzied singing, dancing and drinking; usually in the plural.

Word family

• orgiastic

Related words

• work
• organ
• energy
• bacchanal

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
10. ^ From Abracadabra to Zeus: Word Histories and Mysteries (2004), Boston: Houghton Mifflin (American Heritage Dictionaries)