lunatic
/ˈluːnətɪk/ noun, adjective
Forms lunatics lunatick
- noun An insane person.
- adjective Crazed, mad, insane, demented.
- adjective (literary, rare) Relating to the Moon; lunar.
- adjective (literary, rare) Influenced or affected by the Moon.
Synonyms
moonling basket case basket weaver crack crackpot crazy crazyhead dingbat eccentric fruit and nut case fruit cake fruit loop fruitloop head case kook loony loony tune madcap madhead mental case madman maniac daredevil hothead swashbuckler harum-scarum moonstruck
Etymology
From Middle English lunatik, from Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lunaticus (“moonstruck”), derived from Latin luna (“moon”), the connection stemming from the belief that changes of the moon caused intermittent insanity.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Affected by lunacy; insane; mad. Lord, have mercy on my son; for he is lunatic. Wyclif (Matt. xvii.
- adjective Of or pertaining to, or suitable for, an insane person; evincing lunacy; as, lunatic gibberish; a lunatic asylum.
- noun A person affected by lunacy; an insane person, esp. one who has lucid intervals; a madman; a person of unsound mind.
Etymology [F. lunatique, L. lunaticus, fr. luna the moon. See Lunar.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lunatic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details