amok English · revision 361

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /əˈmɒk/, /əˈmʌk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|ms|amok|t=attacking furiously]].^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) It was first known in the Portuguese forms ''amouco'' and ''amuco''.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A name for a Malay in a murderous frenzy (about 1516, in Portuguese form).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verbal phrase ''run amok'' is recorded in the 1670s,^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) originally meaning to run about in a frenzy for blood.^(OED 1989) By 1689 it was used figuratively for acting wildly or heedlessly;^(OED 1989) it now usually describes anything out of control.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) The noun for the frenzy itself dates from 1849.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * about 1516 – a frenzied Malay (Portuguese ''amouco'').^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1665 – noun, a murderous frenzy.^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1672 – ''run amok'', to run about in a murderous frenzy.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1689 – figurative, wildly or heedlessly.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1944 – as an adjective.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # In a murderous or violent frenzy.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # In a wild, uncontrolled or undisciplined way.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A sudden murderous frenzy, traditionally associated with Malay culture.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[amuck]]

+ * [[berserk]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ It is used almost only in the phrase ''run amok''.^(Wiktionary) The variant ''amuck'' is also standard.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}