madness
Meaning
behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous
the state of having a serious mental illness (old-fashioned or literary)
a state of being very angry or excited
Structure
Usage
it would be sheer madness to attempt the climb in this storm.
in his madness, he believed he could command the sea.
the crowd was whipped into a frenzy of madness by the speaker's words.
Etymology
The word 'madness' is a transparent Germanic compound. Its first element, 'mad', descends from the Old English adjective 'gemǣd', which meant 'insane' or 'foolish', itself derived from the Proto-Germanic root 'maid-', implying change or abnormality. The second element, '-ness', is one of the most productive noun-forming suffixes in English, originating from the Old English '-nes(s)', which concretely signified a state, condition, or quality. The literal construction 'madness' therefore logically means 'the state or condition of being mad'. Over time, while retaining its core link to insanity, its semantic range expanded to encompass extreme folly, intense anger, and wild excitement, reflecting the broadened applications of the root 'mad' itself.
Analysis
- mad: from old english 'gemǣd', meaning 'insane, foolish'. origin: proto-germanic. - ness: from old english '-nes(s)', a noun-forming suffix denoting state or quality. origin: proto-germanic.