Madness
/ˈmæd.nəs/noun
The state of being mentally ill or behaving in an uncontrolled or irrational way.
Did you know?English madness is built on mad, a word whose older history is tied to ideas of confusion and emotional disturbance, showing how languages often turn inner turmoil into a single, powerful label.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mut-
“to change, alter”
Old English
EN
gemǣdde / gemad
“mad, insane, out of one’s mind”
Middle English
EN
madnesse
“the state or condition of being mad”
Modern English
EN
madness
“the state of being mentally ill or wildly irrational”