Also 4 Coribande, 6 Coribant. Pl. Corybants; now usually in L. form Corybantes. [a. F. Corybante, ad. L. Corybant-em (nom. Corybās), a. Gr. Κορύβᾱς, -αντα.] A priest of the Phrygian worship of Cybele, which was performed with noisy and extravagant dances.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., IV. v. 133. Þer is a maner poeple þat hyȝte coribandes þat wenen … whan þe moone is in þe eclips þat it be enchauntid . and þerfore … þei betyn hire basines wiþ þikke strokes.
1570. Kirchmeier, in Harper’s Mag., Dec. (1884), 17/1. Thus woont the Coribants … The crying noise of Jupiter new borne with song to hide.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Poems, Wks. (1711), 41. Those mad Corybants, who dance and glow On Dindymus high tops with frantick fire.
1850. Leitch, trans. C. O. Müller’s Anc. Art, § 395. 521. Cybele enthroned, a Corybant dancing.
1883. Froude, Short Stud., Ser. IV. 257. Christians … now howl it out like the Corybantes.
Hence Corybantian, a. [L. Corybanti-us + -AN], of or pertaining to the Corybantes or their worship. Corybantiasm Path. [Gr. καρυβαντιασμός Corybantic frenzy]: see quot. † Corybantiate v. Obs. [see -ATE3], to act like a Corybant. Corybantic [Gr. καρυβαντικός], Corybantine a., of, pertaining to, or resembling the Corybantes or their rites.
1864. H. Spencer, Illustr. Univ. Progr., 25. Dances partly religious, partly warlike, as the Corybantian.
1847. Craig, Corybantiasm, in Pathology, a sort of frenzy, in which the patient has fantastic visions.
1882. Syd. Soc. Lex., Corybantism.
1730–6. Bailey (folio), Corybantiate, to sleep with one’s Eyes open, or be troubled with Visions that one cannot sleep.
1775. Ash, Corybantiate … to act the part of the Corybants who were wont to make many odd noises and gestures, to act the part of a lunatic.
1642. Cudworth, Serm. 1 Cor. xv. 57 (1676), 92. True Divine Zeal is no Corybantick Fury, but a calm and regular heat.
1864. Cornh. Mag., IX. 165. He was corybantic in his execution of a Scotch ‘reel.’
1890. Huxley, in Times, 1 Dec., 13/2. That form of somewhat corybantic Christianity of which the soldiers of the Salvation Army are the militant missionaries.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, V. i. (1737), 2. The Corybantin Cymbals of Cybele.
