madwoman
UK[ˈmædˌwʊmən]US[ˈmædˌwʊmən]
n
a woman who is mentally ill or insane.
n
a woman who behaves in a wildly foolish or uncontrolled way.
Morpheme Breakdown
mad
woman
mad
mentally ill
woman
adult female human
Etymology
the word "madwoman" is a transparent english compound, directly combining two native anglo-saxon elements. the first element, "mad," originates from an old english verb meaning "to make insane," carrying the core sense of being out of one's mind or frenzied. the second element, "woman," itself an old english compound meaning "female person," provides the specific subject. the compound's logic is straightforward, literally denoting "an insane female person." over time, its usage extended beyond clinical descriptions of mental illness to include figurative meanings describing wildly irrational or uncontrolled behavior in women, reflecting societal attitudes and stereotypes.
Analysis
Structure: mad (mentally ill) + woman (adult female human)
- mad: from old english gemǣd(e)d (past participle of gemǣdan "to make insane"), of germanic origin. functions as an adjective root meaning "insane, frenzied."
- woman: from old english wīfmann ("woman, female servant"), a compound of wīf ("woman, wife") + mann ("person, human"). functions as a noun root denoting an adult female human.
Examples
the character of bertha mason in *jane eyre* is often described as the madwoman in the attic.
she ran through the storm like a madwoman, laughing at the thunder.
the protest was led by a woman the tabloids unfairly painted as a shrieking madwoman.