orgy

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: or=gy

CIDE DICTIONARY

orgy, n. [F. orgie, orgies, L. orgia, pl., Gr. ; akin to work. See Organ, and Work.].

•  A sacrifice accompanied by certain ceremonies in honor of some pagan deity; especially, the ceremonies observed by the Greeks and Romans in the worship of Dionysus, or Bacchus, which were characterized by wild and dissolute revelry. Usually in the plural form.

  "[The singular is rarely used in this sense.]"  [1913 Webster]

  "As when, with crowned cups, unto the Elian god,
  Those priests high orgies held."  [1913 Webster]
•  Wild, drunken, or licentious revelry; an uninhibited carouse.  B. Jonson. Tennyson.  [1913 Webster]
•  A series of sexual activities involving more than two couples in a group.  [PJC]
•  An event characterized by unrestrained indulgence in passion; as, an orgy of buying of internet stocks.  [PJC]

orgy, n. 

 A frantic revel; drunken revelry. See Orgies  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

orgy, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a wild drunken festivity at which indiscriminate sexual activity takes place.
2 excessive indulgence in an activity.
3 (usu. in pl.) Gk & Rom. Hist. secret rites used in the worship of esp. Bacchus, celebrated with dancing, drunkenness, singing, etc.

Etymology

orig. pl., f. F orgies f. L orgia f. Gk orgia secret rites

THESAURUS

orgy

Saturnalia, abandon, bacchanal, bacchanalia, bacchanalian, bat, bender, binge, bout, bust, carousal, carouse, celebration, compotation, craze, debauch, debauchery, debauchment, delirium, dissipation, drinking bout, drunk, drunken carousal, ecstasy, escapade, fire and fury, fling, free living, frenzy, furor, furore, fury, guzzle, high living, hysteria, intoxication, jag, killing pace, lark, licentiousness, madness, orgasm, overindulgence, party, passion, ploy, potation, pub-crawl, rage, rampage, randan, randy, rapture, ravishment, revel, riotous living, saturnalia, soak, splurge, spree, symposium, tear, tearing passion, toot, towering rage, transport, wassail, wingding