Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Greek Mythology Any of the minor woodland deities and companions of Dionysus, depicted on Greek vases as men with the tails, ears, and hooves of horses.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Gr. myth, a divinity of Asiatic origin, the foster-father of Bacchus, and leader of the satyrs, but very frequently merely one of a number of kindred attendants in the Dionysiae thiasus. He was represented as a robust, full-bearded old man. hairy and with pointed ears, frequently in a state of intoxication, often riding on an ass and carrying a cantharus or other wine-vessel.
- n. In entomology, a genus of coleopterous insects of the family Eucnemidæ. Same as Anelastes, Latreille.
- n. In mammal, a genus of macaques, named from Macacus silenus, the wanderoo.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) See wanderoo.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any of the minor woodland deities who were companions of Dionysus (similar to the satyrs)
- n. the chief satyr in the service of Bacchus; father of Dionysus; usually depicted as drunk and jolly and riding a donkey
Etymologies
- Latin sīlēnus, from Greek sīlēnos, from Sīlēnos, Silenus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Description: Forest fragmentation is threatening populations of the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) by separating sub-populations and restricting them to small fragments with high population densities.”
“The charismatic endangered lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) and Nilgiri macaque (Semnopithecus johnii) are other endemic species that need intact habitat and are highly threatened by habitat conversion.”
“Inuus _vel_ Macacus silenus (_Lion Monkey_) 24 18.”
“There has been a certain amount of confusion between this animal and _Inuus silenus_, the lion monkey, which had the name _Wanderu_ applied to it by Buffon, and it is so figured in”
“(_Jerdon_), also Ceylon (_Cuvier_ and _Horsfield_), though not confirmed by Emerson Tennent, who states that the _silenus_ is not found in the island except as introduced by Arab horse-dealers occasionally, and that it certainly is not indigenous.”
“Is the male Macacus silenus furnished with longer hair than the female about the neck and face?”
“i agree with silenus! do these MPs not listen to the mood of the public. i am astonished that beckett is even being considered for speaker especially with her track record on expenses. it's a joke!”
“Macacus silenus L., an Indian ape.) has a great mane of hair round neck, and passing into large whiskers and beard.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘silenus’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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phrontistery-s
from phrontistery.info
sabaton, sabbatarian, sabbulonarium, sabelline, sabin, sable, sabliere, sabot, sabretache, sabulous, saburration, saccade and 1593 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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the brothers
factotem, extrapolation, antinomy, antenome, pusillanimous, capons, caftan, pejorative, cropper, cowl, perfidious, fichu and 138 more...
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Drunkie
Haay gusy! uiI lieke twebb sit e !!
alcoholize, usquebaugh, whiffled, vinous, enology, aleconner, gambrinous, alcofrolic, perfect barf, bibulous, bleezed, brannigan and 144 more...
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the gods must be crazy!
quetzalcoatl, baron-samedi, loa, orichas, arianrhod, aine, amaethon, annwn, arnemetia, balor, badbh, bean nighe and 1061 more...
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Naiads and Dryads and Bears, oh my!
Creatures and characters from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.
puddleglum, reepicheep, white stag, rilian, jill, eustace, tisroc, rabadash, trufflehunter, nikabrik, trumpkin, doctor cornelius and 71 more...
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Interesting Words
Tweets
Looking for tweets for silenus.
whichbe Tipsy person. (from Phrontistery) May 23, 2008