Phrenetic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by fast, wild, uncontrolled energy and agitation, as if driven by an urgent or overwhelming force
2. Describing activity that is hectic, feverish and frantic, moving at a pace that seems out of control
3. Marked by a state of intense, almost delirious excitement or hurry that spills over into chaotic behavior

Etymology: "Phrenetic" is an older spelling of "frenetic," and the word's root is a Greek term for the mind. In ancient Greek, "phrenitis" meant delirium, a disorder of the mind, and it came from "phrēn," meaning "mind" or "diaphragm," the organ the Greeks believed was the seat of thought. A Latin adjective, "phreneticus," was formed from it, and the word passed through Old French into Middle English as "frenetik," with the sense of madness or wild agitation. The word is a doublet of "frantic" and "phrenitic," meaning that all three descend from the same Greek source by different routes. The "ph" spelling faded over time, but it preserved the original link to the mind, which is still visible in the word's sense of uncontrolled, frenzied activity. The modern stress falls on the second syllable, which is unexpected. The earlier pattern, with stress on the first syllable, would have been natural for a word of this shape, and the shift came from the pull of similar words ending in "-etic," such as "phonetic" and "sympathetic."

Synonyms: frenetic, frantic, frenzied, hectic, wild

Antonyms: calm, relaxed, peaceful, tranquil, placid