Lunatics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals exhibiting extreme or irrational behavior that may suggest a departure from reality
2. People often referred to as crazy or mad, especially in a context of mental instability
3. Those whose actions are deemed wildly unpredictable or nonsensical in nature

Etymology: "Lunatics" is the plural of "lunatic," and the word's core idea is the moon itself. Ancient and medieval people widely believed that the moon's phases could trigger intermittent madness, so a person whose mind seemed to wax and wane was thought to be moonstruck. The Latin "luna" meant "moon," and Late Latin built "lunaticus" from it, meaning "moonstruck." The word passed into Middle English as "lunatik," coming through Old French "lunatique." Its earliest English sense was therefore medical and literal: a person suffering from periodic insanity, the condition assumed to rise and fall with the moon. Only later did the term broaden into a general insult and a loose description of anyone behaving wildly.

Synonyms: madmen, insane, crazies, maniacs, psychopaths

Antonyms: sane, rational, calm