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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary lu·na·tic ETYMOLOGY Middle English lunatik, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French lunatic, from Late Latin lunaticus, from Latin luna; from the belief that lunacy fluctuated with the phases of the moon DATE 14th century 1. a. affected with lunacy : insane b. designed for the care of insane persons lunatic asylum 2. wildly foolish a lunatic idea • lunatic noun English Etymology lunatic lunatic (adj.) late 13c., "affected with periodic insanity, dependent on the changes of the moon," from O.Fr . lunatique "insane," from L.lunaticus "moon-struck," from luna "moon" (see luna). Cf. O.E.monseoc "lunatic," lit. "moon-sick;" M.H.G. lune "humor, temper, mood, whim, fancy" (Ger. Laune), from L. luna. Cf. also N.T. Gk.seleniazomai "be epileptic," from selene "moon." The noun meaning "lunatic person" is first recorded late 14c. Lunatic fringe(1913) was apparently coined by U.S. politician Theodore Roosevelt. Lunatic soup (1933) was Australian slang for "alcoholic drink."http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 lunatic lu·na·tic / 5lu:nEtik / noun1. a person who does crazy things that are often dangerous 精神错乱者；狂人 SYN maniac :
This lunatic in a white van pulled out right in front of me! 这个疯子开着一辆白色货车直接冲到了我前面！ 2. (old-fashioned) a person who is severely mentally ill (the use of this word is now offensive) 严重精神病患者,疯子(现为冒犯语) ORIGIN Originally from the Latin lunaticus (luna = moon), because people believed that the changes in the moon made people go mad temporarily. 源自拉丁文 lunaticus (luna 即月亮),因人们相信月的盈亏可引发暂时的神经错乱。 adjective crazy, ridiculous or extremely stupid 疯狂的；荒唐可笑的；极其愚蠢的: lunatic ideas 荒谬的想法 a lunatic smile 傻笑 IDIOMS ▪ the 7lunatic 'fringe noun [sing. + sing. / pl. v.] (disapproving) those members of a political or other group whose views are considered to be very extreme and crazy 极端分子；极端(或狂热)分子集团 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English lunatic noun ADJ. complete, raving | dangerous | criminal LUNATIC + NOUN asylum Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: adjective 1 Synonyms: INSANE 1, ||batty, cracked, crazed, crazy, demented, deranged, mad, maniac, unsound 2 Synonyms: FOOLISH 2, absurd, ||balmy, crazy, fantastic, insane, loony, ||potty, preposterous, wackyn. Function: noun 1 a person who is insane or of unsound mind FF1C;Bedlam was a famous old English asylum for lunaticsFF1E; Synonyms: bedlamite, dement, loon, loony, madling, madman, maniac, non compos, nut, Tom o' Bedlam Related Words: demoniac, energumen; raver; neuropath, neurotic, paranoid, psycho, psychoneurotic 2 Synonyms: CRACKPOT , crackbrain, crank, cuckoo, ding-a-ling, harebrain, kook, nut, screwballWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged lu·na·tic I. \ˈlünəˌtik\ adjective also lu·nat·i·cal \(ˈ)lü|nad.ə̇kəl\ Etymology: lunatic from Middle English lunatik, from Old French or Late Latin; Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lunaticus, from Latin luna moon; lunatical from lunatic + -al — more at lunar 1. a. obsolete : affected with lunacy b. : having or controlled by an unsound mind : mad c. : designed for the treatment or care of insane persons < lunatic asylum > 2. a. : wildly foolish : given to or marked by extravagant folly < pure fantasy unrelated to reality is dangerous, lunatic, and irresponsible — Rex Warner > < consuming with lunatic speed the assets of the earth — Herbert Agar > b. : gaily mad : giddy < performed … with wonderful precision and lunatic brightness — New Yorker > < the light lunatic touch which she uses to satirize fur fashion shows and torch singers — Virginia Forbes > 3. of a horse : moon-blind II. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English lunatik, from lunatik, adjective 1. a. : a person affected with lunacy or of unsound mind b. : one who is wildly eccentric : one capable of crazy actions or extravagances : crackpot < all sorts of political lunatics whom no one would dream of taking seriously — G.B.Shaw > < he is a lunatic when it comes to fishing > 2. : a person whose abnormal mental condition renders him incapable or irresponsible before the law (as an insane person or one non compos mentis) |
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