demented

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   wildly irrational, disturbed, or out of control

   A demented laugh echoed through the empty corridor.

2. 2
   adj

   having dementia; now often avoided as a dated and potentially offensive description of a person

   The historical report repeatedly described patients with severe dementia as demented.

3. 3
   adj

   extremely foolish, absurd, or frantic, especially in informal use

   It was a demented plan, but somehow it worked.

Simplified etymology

Demented, recorded from the mid-16th century, ultimately belongs to the family of Latin mens ‘mind’, the ancient root also shared by English mind.

The past participle of dement, from French dementer and ultimately Latin demens, "out of one's mind," formed from de- + mens, "mind." The adjective developed both a medical sense associated with dementia and broader figurative senses for irrational or frantic behavior.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary