Where does “maniacal” come from?
Maniacal derives from English maniac, from Ancient Greek μανιακός, from μανία meaning frenzy, ultimately from the root μαίνομαι meaning to rage or be mad.
maniacal (English): Like a maniac; insane; frenzied
Definitions
- Like a maniac; insane; frenzied
Ancestry of “maniacal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | maniac | An insane person, especially one who suffers from... |
| 2 | French | maniaque | maniacal; maniac |
| 3 | Latin | maniacus | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μανιακός | causing insanity |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μανίᾱ | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | νόσος | sickness, disease, illness; plague; misery,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -λογία | Base for nouns denoting the study of something,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |