orgy

orgy
\ \ [16] Orgy comes ultimately from Greek órgia (like English organ, a descendant of the Indo-European base *worg- ‘work’), which denoted ‘religious revels involving dancing, singing, getting drunk, and having sex’. It was a plural noun, and passed into English via Latin orgia and French orgies as orgies. This was very much a historical term, denoting the goings-on in ancient Greece, but in the 18th century it was singularized to orgy, and used for any ‘copulatory revelry’.
\ \ Cf.⇒ ORGAN, WORK

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

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  • Orgy — Or gy, n.; sing. {Orgies}. [F. orgie, orgies, L. orgia, pl., Gr. ?; akin to ? work. See {Organ}, and {Work}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A sacrifice accompanied by certain ceremonies in honor of some pagan deity; especially, the ceremonies observed by the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • orgy — (n.) 1560s, orgies (pl.) secret rites in the worship of certain Greek and Roman gods, especially Dionysus, from M.Fr. orgies (c.1500), from L. orgia, from Gk. orgia (pl.) secret rites, from PIE root *werg to work (see URGE (Cf. urge) (v.)). The… …   Etymology dictionary

  • orgy — ► NOUN (pl. orgies) 1) a wild party with excessive drinking and indiscriminate sexual activity. 2) excessive indulgence in a specified activity: an orgy of killing. ORIGIN from Greek orgia secret rites or revels …   English terms dictionary

  • Orgy — Or gy, n.; pl. {Orgies}. A frantic revel; drunken revelry. See {Orgies} [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • orgy — index debauchery Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • orgy — [n] celebration devoted to sensual enjoyment bacchanal, bacchanalia, bender*, binge*, blowout*, bout*, carousal, circus*, debauch, dissipation, excess, feast, fling*, indulgence, jag*, merrymaking, overindulgence, party, rampage*, revel, revelry …   New thesaurus

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