frantic
/ˈfɹæn.tɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms frantics frantick phrantic phrantick
- adjective (archaic) Insane, mentally unstable.
- adjective In a state of panic, worry, frenzy, or rush. “They returned the missing child to his frantic mother.”
- adjective Extremely energetic. “frantic music”
- noun (archaic) A person who is insane or mentally unstable, madman.
Synonyms
tearing mad frenetic frenzied phrenetic delirious excited unrestrained
Etymology
From Middle English frantike, frentik, variant of frenetik, from Old French frenetique, from Late Latin phreneticus, alteration of phreniticus, from φρενιτικός (phrenitikós, “mad, suffering from inflammation of the brain”), from φρενῖτις (phrenîtis, “inflammation of the brain”), from φρήν (phrḗn, “the brain”). Doublet of frenetic and phrenitic.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Mad; raving; furious; violent; wild and disorderly; distracted.
Etymology [OE. frentik, frenetik, F. frentique, L. phreneticus, from Gr. Frenzy, and cf. Frenetic, Phrenetic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “frantic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details