Bacchanal Vs. Orgy

[sb70012]

Hello teachers,

Orgy: a wild gathering marked by promiscuous sexual activity, excessive drinking.
Bacchanal: a drunken and riotous celebration.

Source: WR Dictionary

Are they same at meaning? I think there is no big difference between Orgy and Bacchanal.
But what's your idea? Is there any difference between them or not?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Keith Bradford]

In my experience, at bacchanals you concentrate on drinking; in orgies, sex

 

[entangledbank]

My experience with these is limited, but basically a bacchanal involves drinking and an orgy involves sex, and if they end up so that you can't tell which of them it is any more, hey, it was a successful one.

 

[sb70012]

Thanks so much.

 

[Egmont]

We would make the same distinction in AE. (Perhaps unfortunately, I have no hands-on experience with either.)

 

[sb70012]

Thanks for answering Egmont.

 

[velisarius]

Also everyone knows what an orgy is, but not everyone understands "bacchanal". An "orgy" can also be used metaphorically: "an orgy of chocolate-eating", for those sad people who don't get invited to the real thing.

 

[sb70012]

Also everyone knows what an orgy is, but not everyone understands "bacchanal". An "orgy" can also be used metaphorically: "an orgy of chocolate-eating", for those sad people who don't get invited to the real thing.

Thanks for answering. But I didn't ask (Orgy of something). I know what (Orgy of something) is.
I just asked Orgy.

Anyway, thanks for answering.

 

[lucas-sp]

Also everyone knows what an orgy is, but not everyone understands "bacchanal".

That's the big one - "orgy" is more common and "bacchanal" very rare. Nowadays, an "orgy" is understood as necessarily sexual.

(In older books - say, from the 1930's and before - you may see "orgy" used to describe "a wild party" without any sexual implications.)