amok
[ uh-muhk, uh-mok ]
noun
(among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder.
adjective
Idioms about amok
run / go amok. amuck (def. 3).
Origin of amok
1First recorded in 1865–70, amok is from the Malay word amuk
- Also amuck.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for amok
amok
amuck (əˈmʌk)
/ (əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk) /
noun
a state of murderous frenzy, originally observed among Malays
adverb
run amok to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill
Origin of amok
1C17: from Malay amoq furious assault
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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