Batty

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbæti/

Definitions

1. Mentally unbalanced, eccentric, or behaving irrationally ; characteristic of or similar to a bat, such as being nocturnal or winged
2. Showing signs of craziness or odd behavior ; having qualities or features that pertain to bats
3. Odd or slightly mad in a whimsical way ; related to or suggesting traits of the flying mammal called a bat

Etymology: The sense "mad" for "batty" dates to 1903, and it comes from the older expression "to have bats in one's belfry," meaning to be crazy. The image is of bats flitting around inside a church bell tower, behaving erratically, and the adjective simply takes the animal's name and adds the suffix "-y." The word also has a rival explanation for its earlier, more playful forms. Some sources connect it to "bottom" and to "botty" or "butt," which would give a very different, body-based origin. Because that account is less certain, the bell-tower story is the one to rely on for the sense of madness. The sense of "characteristic of a bat" is the more literal one, and it sits comfortably beside the figurative sense. Both meanings grow from the same creature, with the flying and erratic movement of bats supplying the idea of unpredictability.

Synonyms: crazy, insane, mad, nuts, loopy

Antonyms: sane, rational, logical, sensible, reasonable