Majnun
/mædʒˈnuːn/noun
A madman or passionately lovesick person, especially the legendary lover of Layla in Arabic and Persian literature.
Did you know?In the famous Layla and Majnun romance, Majnun’s madness becomes a form of mystical devotion, and the story helped inspire later Sufi interpretations of obsessive love.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*j-n-n
“To cover, conceal, or hide; a reconstructed root associated with hidden things.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
janna
“He concealed or covered; the root also produced terms for beings hidden from human sight.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
jinn
“A hidden supernatural being or spirit.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
majnūn
“Literally “made possessed” or “made insane,” the passive participle of a verb derived from the jinn root.”
12th Century
Arabic
Majnūn Laylā
““The madman of Layla,” the legendary lover whose ecstatic madness became central to a celebrated romance.”
19th–20th Century
English
majnun
“A loanword used for the legendary lover, or more broadly for a lovesick, raving, or passionately obsessed person.”