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Where does the word "insane" come from? It comes from Latin insanus, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).
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Where does the word "insane" come from? It comes from Latin insanus, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).
Insane’s story begins in Latin: insanus meant “mad.” 'in-', not, plus 'sanus', healthy. It reached English by 1550s as insane. 'insanely good' as slang dates from the 1900s. Today, insane means mentally ill; extremely foolish.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient insanus "mad", 'in-', not, plus 'sanus', healthy.
- Stage 2 · English · 1550s insane "mad", 'insanely good' as slang dates from the 1900s.