amok
/əˈmɒk/ adverb, noun, verb
Forms amoks amoking amoked amuck amock
- adverb Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
- adverb In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.
- noun One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.
- noun The act of running amok.
- verb Synonym of run amok.
- noun (Cambodia) A kind of Southeast Asian curry steamed in banana leaves native to Cambodia.
Synonyms
run amok amuck berserk demoniac demoniacal possessed murderously
Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa, which was translated to English by Henry E. J. Stanley.
Borrowed from Khmer អាម៉ុក (ʼaamok, “to steam in banana leaves”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “amok”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details