Where does “maddening” come from?
Maddening comes from English madden, which derives from mad, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *madaz meaning "changed in mind" or "foolish."
maddening (English): Causing frustration or anger; Leading to...
Definitions
- Causing frustration or anger; Leading to...
Ancestry of “maddening”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | madden | To make angry; To make insane; to inflame with... |
| 2 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |