Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Causing frustration or anger; Leading to...

Ancestry of “maddening”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmaddenTo make angry; To make insane; to inflame with...
2English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
3Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-—
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “maddening”

  • maddeningly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →