madder

[mad-er] Origin

mad·der

1[mad-er]
noun
1.
any plant of the genus Rubia, especially the climbing R. tinctorum, of Europe, having open clusters of small, yellowish flowers. Compare madder family.
2.
the root of this plant, formerly used in dyeing.
3.
the dye or coloring matter itself.
4.
a color produced by such a dye.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English mad(d)er, Old English mæd(e)re; cognate with Old Norse mathra, Old High German matara

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Madder is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

mad·der

2[mad-er]
adjective
comparative of mad.

mad

[mad] adjective, mad·der, mad·dest, noun, verb, mad·ded, mad·ding.
adjective
1.
mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.
2.
enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.
3.
(of animals)
a.
abnormally furious; ferocious: a mad bull.
b.
affected with rabies; rabid: a mad dog.
4.
extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational: a mad scheme to invade France.
5.
wildly excited or confused; frantic: mad haste.
EXPAND
6.
overcome by desire, eagerness, enthusiasm, etc.; excessively or uncontrollably fond; infatuated: He's mad about the opera.
7.
wildly gay or merry; enjoyably hilarious: to have a mad time at the Mardi Gras.
8.
(of wind, storms, etc.) furious in violence: A mad gale swept across the channel.
COLLAPSE
noun
9.
an angry or ill-tempered period, mood, or spell: The last time he had a mad on, it lasted for days.
verb (used with object)
10.
Archaic. to make mad.
verb (used without object)
11.
Archaic. to be, become, or act mad.
12.
like mad, Informal. with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm: She ran like mad to catch the bus.
13.
mad as a hatter, completely insane.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English mad (adj.), madden (intransitive v., derivative of the adj.); Old English gemǣd(e)d, past participle of *gemǣdan to make mad, akin to gemād mad, foolish; cognate with Old Saxon gemēd, Old High German gimeit foolish

half-mad, adjective
half-mad·ly, adverb
half-mad·ness, noun
qua·si-mad, adjective
qua·si-mad·ly, adverb
EXPAND
un·mad, adjective
un·mad·ded, adjective
COLLAPSE


1. lunatic, maniacal, crazed, crazy. 2. furious, exasperated, raging, wrathful, irate. 4. ill-advised; unsafe, dangerous, perilous. Mad, crazy, insane are used to characterize wildly impractical or foolish ideas, actions, etc. Mad suggests senselessness and excess: The scheme of buying the bridge was absolutely mad. In informal usage, crazy suggests recklessness and impracticality: a crazy young couple. Insane is used with some opprobrium to express unsoundness and possible harmfulness: The new traffic system is simply insane. 5. frenzied.


4. sensible, practical; sound, safe.


Mad meaning “enraged, angry” has been used since 1300, and this sense is a very common one. Because some teachers and usage critics insist that the only correct meaning of mad is “mentally disturbed, insane,” mad is often replaced by angry in formal contexts: The President is angry at Congress for overriding his veto.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To madder
Collins
World English Dictionary
madder1 (ˈmædə)
 
n
1.  any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Rubia, esp the Eurasian R. tinctoria, which has small yellow flowers and a red fleshy root
2.  the root of this plant
3.  a dark reddish-purple dye formerly obtained by fermentation of this root; identical to the synthetic dye, alizarin
4.  a red lake obtained from alizarin and an inorganic base; used as a pigment in inks and paints
 
[Old English mædere; related to Middle Dutch mēde, Old Norse mathra]

madder2 (ˈmædə)
 
adj
the comparative of mad

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mad
O.E. gemædde (pl.) "out of one's mind" (usually implying also violent excitement), also "foolish," earlier gemæded "rendered insane," pp. of a lost verb *gemædan "to make insane or foolish" (related to gemad "mad"), from P.Gmc. *ga-maid-jan, demonstrative form of *ga-maid-az "changed
EXPAND
(for the worse), abnormal" (cf. O.S. gimed "foolish," O.H.G. gimeit "foolish, vain, boastful," Goth. gamaiþs "crippled, wounded," O.N. meiða "to hurt, maim"), from intensive prefix *ga- + PIE *moito-, pp. of base *mei- "to change" (cf. L. mutare "to change," mutuus "done in exchange," migrare "to change one's place of residence;" see mutable). Emerged in M.E. to replace the more usual O.E. word, wod (see wood (adj.)). Sense of "beside oneself with excitement or enthusiasm" is from early 14c. Meaning "beside oneself with anger" is attested from c.1300, but deplored by Rev. John Witherspoon (1781) as an Americanism, and now competes in Amer.Eng. with angry for this sense. Of dogs, "affected with rabies," from 1800. Phrase mad as a March hare is attested from 1520s, via notion of breeding season; mad as a hatter (1857) is said to be from erratic behavior caused by prolonged exposure to poison mercuric nitrate, used in making felt hats. Mad as a wet hen is from 1823. Mad money is attested from 1922; mad scientist is from 1940.

madder
O.E. mædere "plant used for making dyes," from PIE *modhro- "dye plant" (cf. O.N. maðra, O.H.G. matara "madder," Pol. modry, Czech modry "blue").
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

mad (mād)
adj.

  1. Angry; resentful.

  2. Suffering from a disorder of the mind; insane.

  3. Affected by rabies; rabid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT