Phrenetic
/frəˈnɛtɪk/noun
Wildly excited, frantic, or frenzied in manner.
Did you know?Its older relatives passed through Greek and Latin medical language, where intense mental disturbance was often described as a kind of bodily heat or madness.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phrēn
“the mind, heart, or midriff; thought and feeling were imagined as centered in the body”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phrēnitikos
“pertaining to the mind or to inflammation affecting the mind”
Late Latin
Latin
phreneticus
“mad, delirious, feverish”
Old French
Old French
frenetique
“frantic, delirious”
Middle English
English
frenetik
“mad, delirious, frenzied”
Modern English
English
phrenetic
“wildly excited, frantic, or frenzied”
Explore more surprising origins