ecstasy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A feeling of very intense happiness or delight.

   She was in ecstasy when she heard she had won the prize.

2. 2
   noun

   A state of overwhelming emotion that carries you beyond ordinary self-control.

   He fell into an ecstasy of joy at the news.

3. 3
   noun

   An illegal drug (MDMA) used to feel energetic and happy.

   The police seized hundreds of ecstasy pills at the festival.

Simplified etymology

Ecstasy is based on Greek ekstasis, meaning “standing outside yourself.” It first referred to frenzy or distraction, as though someone were beside themselves with fear, passion, or another strong emotion. During the 16th and 17th centuries it came to denote emotional or religious frenzy or heightened emotion, which was not limited to happiness or pleasure. The drug name Ecstasy was first recorded in 1985 and refers to MDMA’s euphoric effects.

From Old French estaise (“ecstasy, rapture”), from Latin ecstasis, from Ancient Greek ἔκστασις (ékstasis), from ἐξίστημι (exístēmi, “to displace”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to stand”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary