Joyrode

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in reckless driving or riding for thrill and excitement; to act with wild abandon while operating a vehicle or horse; to cause chaos or disturbances through such reckless behavior
2. To drive or ride in a dangerous, irresponsible way for pleasure; to behave wildly in a vehicle or on horseback; to create disorder or upset the public peace by doing so
3. To operate a vehicle or horse with careless and reckless disregard for safety in pursuit of amusement; to act frenziedly and disruptively during such activity; to provoke turmoil through this conduct

Etymology: Joyriding is a compound of "joy" and "ride," and the past tense "joyrode" follows the same path as "ride" itself. "Joy" came into English through Old French "joie," which descended from Latin "gaudia," the plural of "gaudium," meaning gladness. "Ride" is much older, inherited from Old English "rīdan," a word that has been part of the language since the earliest English records. The pairing is a modern one. Joined together, the two words describe a trip taken for the thrill of it, often at speed and with little regard for safety or for other people on the road. The sense of disorder is built into the meaning: the verb covers reckless driving or riding for pleasure, and by extension behaving wildly in a vehicle or on horseback and disturbing the public peace.