The office of Pythoness appears not to have been desirable. Either the emanations from the cavern, or some art of the managers, threw her into real convulsions. Priests entitled prophets led her to the sacred tripod, force being often necessary for that purpose, and held her on it till her frenzy rose to whatever pitch was in their judgement most fit for the occasion.
Wikipedia foundation.
Pythoness — Pyth o*ness, n. [L. pythonissa: cf. F. pythonisse. See {Pythian}.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) The priestess who gave oracular answers at Delphi in Greece. [1913 Webster] 2. Any woman supposed to have a spirit of divination; a sort of witch. Bp. Hall. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pythoness — late 14c., woman with the power of soothsaying, from O.Fr. phitonise (13c.), from L.L. pythonissa, used in Vulgate of the Witch of Endor (I Sam. xxviii. 7), and often treated as her proper name, lit. fem. of pytho familiar spirit; which… … Etymology dictionary
pythoness — [pī′thə nis] n. [ME phitonesse < MFr phitonise < ML phytonissa < LL(Ec) pythonissa < Gr Pythōn < Pythō: see PYTHIAN] 1. a priestess of Apollo at Delphi 2. any woman soothsayer; prophetess … English World dictionary
pythoness — noun a) A female soothsayer On the fifteenth of January, it was discovered that the pythoness had excluded rather more than a hundred dirty white, leathery looking eggs. b) A female python … Wiktionary
pythoness — noun Etymology: Middle English Phitonesse, from Middle French pithonisse, from Late Latin pythonissa, from Greek Pythōn, spirit of divination, perhaps from Pythō, seat of the Delphic oracle Date: 14th century 1. a woman who practices divination 2 … New Collegiate Dictionary
pythoness — /puy theuh nis, pith euh /, n. 1. a woman believed to be possessed by a soothsaying spirit, as the priestess of Apollo at Delphi. 2. a woman who practices divination. [1325 75; PYTHON2 + ESS; r. ME phytonesse < MF] Usage. See. ess. * * * … Universalium
PYTHONESS — the priestess of APOLLO AT DELPHI (q.v.), so called from the PYTHON (q.v.), the dragon slain by the god … The Nuttall Encyclopaedia
pythoness — noun archaic a woman believed to be possessed by a spirit and to be able to foresee the future. Origin ME: from OFr. phitonise, from an alt. of late L. pythonissa, based on Gk puthōn soothsaying demon ; cf. Pythian … English new terms dictionary
pythoness — pytho·ness … English syllables
pythoness — py•tho•ness [[t]ˈpaɪ θə nɪs, ˈpɪθ ə [/t]] n. a woman believed to be possessed by a soothsaying spirit • Etymology: 1350–1400; ME phytonesse (< MFphitonise) < MLphitōnissa, LL (Vulgate)pȳthōnissa, fem. der. ofpȳthōn< Gkpneûma… … From formal English to slang
