lunatic

Where does the word "lunatic" come from? It comes from Latin luna, passing through Latin before entering English (1300s).

Lunatic’s story begins in Latin: luna meant “the moon.” The moon, once believed to cause periodic madness in those affected. Within Latin, it grew into lunaticus by ancient. Moon-struck, describing periodic insanity attributed to the moon's phases. It reached English by 1300s as lunatic. Settled as the English word for a person considered insane. Today, lunatic means a foolish or reckless person, historically referring to someone mentally ill.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient luna "the moon", the moon, once believed to cause periodic madness in those affected.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient lunaticus "moon-struck, afflicted by the moon", moon-struck, describing periodic insanity attributed to the moon's phases.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s lunatic "a person considered mentally unstable or foolish", settled as the English word for a person considered insane.