Frenetic
/frəˈnɛtɪk/noun
Wildly excited, frantic, or agitated.
Did you know?‘Frenetic’ comes from Greek phrēnitis, a term for madness or brain-fever, tied to phrēn, ‘diaphragm’ or ‘mind,’ because ancient medicine linked the seat of thought to the body’s inner fire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷʰren-
“A root associated with the mind, spirit, or thought”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phrḗn
“The diaphragm; by extension, the mind, heart, or seat of feeling”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phrēnîtis
“Inflammation of the mind; brain-fever, madness”
Latin
Latin
phreneticus
“Mad, delirious, feverish”
Old French
Old French
frenetique
“Frenzied, mad, delirious”
Middle English
English
frenetik
“Delirious, insane; later, wildly energetic”
Modern English
English
frenetic
“Wildly agitated, frantic, or intensely fast-paced”
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