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sa·tyr

(sātər, sătər)

1. often Satyr Greek Mythology A woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry.

a. A licentious man; a lecher.

b. A man who is affected by satyriasis. No longer in clinical usage.

3. Any of various satyrid butterflies having brownish wings marked with eyespots.

[Middle English satire, from Old French, from Latin satyrus, from Greek saturos.]

sa·tyric (sā-tîrĭk, sə-), sa·tyri·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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