Giddy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɪd.i/

Definitions

1. Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or experiencing a whirling sensation, often accompanied by excitement or frivolity
2. A state of overwhelming joy or excitement that can induce a feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness, often resulting in carefree behavior or playfulness
3. Characterized by a state of lightheadedness and faintness, often induced by extreme joy or excitement, resulting in a playful or silly demeanor

Etymology: Giddy once meant "possessed by a god or spirit." Its Old English ancestor, "gidiġ," described someone who was mad or demon-possessed, and the root is the same as "god." The word is built from the Proto-West Germanic "*god" plus a suffix meaning "having the quality of," so its literal sense was something like "godly" or "spirit-possessed." Over the centuries the meaning drifted from supernatural possession toward madness, then toward foolishness and unreliability. Middle English speakers used the form "gidi" and its variants for crazed, idiotic, or unwise people, and even for animals that had gone out of control. The sense of physical dizziness appeared only rarely in that period. The modern meaning, dizzy with excitement or lightheaded with joy, came from the older senses of wildness and loss of control. The noun and verb forms that followed were both derived from the adjective, so they carry the same thread of unsteadiness.

Synonyms: dizzy, lightheaded, faint, unsteady, vertiginous

Antonyms: sober, serious, steady, calm, composed