Where does “mad lib” come from?
mad lib (English) comes from English MAD, from Middle English mad, from Old English ġemǣd, from Proto-Germanic maidijaną, from Proto-Germanic maidaz, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.
mad lib (English): A humorously nonsensical story created from a template with blanks for certain elements. One participant supplies words to fill the blanks (e.g. "nose" where a body part is required), and the other reads the resulting story
Definitions
- A humorously nonsensical story created from a template with blanks for certain elements. One participant supplies words to fill the blanks (e.g. "nose" where a body part is required), and the other reads the resulting story
Ancestry of “mad lib”, step by step
mad lib traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English MAD
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAD | Initialism of mutually assured destruction;... |
| 2 | Middle English | mad | Mad, insane, deranged; not of sound mind;... |
| 3 | Old English | ġemǣd | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | maidijaną | to exchange, change |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | maidaz | hurt, wounded; mad, foolish; angry, enraged |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |
via English ad lib
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ad lib | At pleasure; At will; To whatever extent |
| 2 | English | ad libitum | As much as desired, to one's fill, without... |
| 3 | New Latin | ad libitum | at one's pleasure, allowing freedom to improvise,... |