Meshugga

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a person or behavior that is wildly irrational, foolish, or mentally unbalanced, a term borrowed from Yiddish
2. Used of someone who seems out of their mind or whose actions make no sense, a colloquial Yiddish-derived expression
3. Characterizing a person, idea, or situation as crazy, absurd, or completely unhinged in a way that defies reason

Etymology: "Meshugga" is the Yiddish-influenced spelling of a word meaning "crazy," and its roots go back to a Hebrew verb for being driven mad. In Hebrew, "shugá" meant "be driven mad," and a related form, "shigá," meant "drive mad." The adjective "m'shugá" grew out of these verb forms, and it passed into Yiddish as "meshuge," where it kept the sense of madness, or more loosely, eccentricity and foolishness. English picked it up around 1880, when Yiddish speakers in America and Britain were bringing their everyday vocabulary into the wider language. The word's sound and rhythm made it easy to use for playful or exasperated remarks, and it has stayed in English largely through that conversational, affectionate tone.

Synonyms: crazy, insane, mad, nuts, loony

Antonyms: sane, rational, sensible