Nearby Words

frenzy

[fren-zee] Origin

fren·zy

[fren-zee] noun, plural -zies, verb, -zied, -zy·ing.
noun
1.
extreme mental agitation; wild excitement or derangement.
2.
a fit or spell of violent mental excitement; a paroxysm characteristic of or resulting from a mania: He is subject to these frenzies several times a year.
verb (used with object)
3.
to drive to frenzy; make frantic: She was frenzied by fear when she smelled the smoke.

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Frenzy is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English frenesie < Old French < Late Latin phrenēsis < Late Greek, for Greek phrenîtis; see phrenitis

fren·zi·ly, adverb


2. madness, insanity, lunacy, aberration; rage, fury, raving.


1. calm. 2. sanity.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
frenzy (ˈfrɛnzɪ)
 
n , pl -zies
1.  violent mental derangement
2.  wild excitement or agitation; distraction
3.  a bout of wild or agitated activity: a frenzy of preparations
 
vb , -zies, -zies, -zying, -zied
4.  (tr) to make frantic; drive into a frenzy
 
[C14: from Old French frenesie, from Late Latin phrēnēsis madness, delirium, from Late Greek, ultimately from Greek phrēn mind; compare frenetic]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

frenzy
mid-14c., from O.Fr. frenesie, from M.L. phrenesia, from phrenesis, back formation from L. phreneticus "delirious" (see frenetic). Related: Frenzied.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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