moonstruck
UK /ˈmuːnstɹʌk/ · US /ˈmunˌstɹʌk/ adjective
- adjective (archaic) Of a person: perverted or insane, originally supposedly due to the influence of the Moon; compare lunatic.
- adjective (figurative) Showing irrational behaviour, especially of a romantic or sentimental nature; in an entranced or distracted state, especially due to being in love.
- adjective (obsolete except UK, regional) Made physically sick, or (like fish) unsuitable for food, by the supposed effect of moonlight.
Synonyms
Etymology
From moon + struck (adjective), possibly coined by the English poet and polemicist John Milton (1608–1674): see the quotation. Compare Byzantine Greek σεληνόβλητος (selēnóblētos), σεληνόπληκτος (selēnóplēktos), German mondsüchtig, and German Low German maansüchtig, which also refer to being struck by the moon.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “moonstruck”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details