kleptomaniac
UK[ˌkleptəˈmeɪniæk]US[ˌkleptəˈmeɪniæk]
n
a person who has a very strong desire to steal things that they do not need, usually considered to be a mental illness.
Morpheme Breakdown
klepto
mania
ac
klepto
theft
mania
madness
ac
pertaining to
Etymology
the word 'kleptomaniac' is a modern clinical term constructed from ancient greek components. it combines 'kleptēs', meaning thief, with 'mania', denoting a madness or obsessive frenzy, and the adjectival suffix '-ac', which denotes a characteristic or affiliation. the term was coined in the early 19th century within the field of psychiatry to medically describe a person suffering from an irresistible impulse to steal, objects not for their monetary value but due to a psychological compulsion. this formation logically follows the pattern of classifying mental disorders, where the literal 'madness for theft' evolved into the specific clinical abstraction for a behavioral disorder.
Analysis
Structure: klepto (theft) + mania (madness) + ac (pertaining to)
klepto: from greek 'kleptēs' (thief). functional role: root, indicating theft.
mania: from greek 'mania' (madness, frenzy). functional role: root, indicating an obsessive compulsion or mental disorder.
ac: from greek suffix '-akos' or latin '-acus', meaning 'pertaining to' or 'characterized by'. functional role: suffix forming adjectives and nouns.
Examples
the store security was alerted to the presence of a known kleptomaniac in the boutique.
his therapist explained that his shoplifting was not criminal intent but the action of a kleptomaniac.
the court ordered the diagnosed kleptomaniac to undergo treatment rather than face jail time.