Vertiginous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /vɜː(ɹ)ˈtɪd͡ʒɪnəs/

Definitions

1. Causing a sensation of dizziness or spinning, or relating to extreme height that makes one feel unsteady
2. Producing an intense spinning sensation or causing dizziness through extreme altitude or rapid movement
3. Characterized by dizzying height, motion, or disorientation that creates a sensation of losing one's balance

Etymology: Vertiginous comes from Latin "vertīginōsus," which describes things full of "vertigo," a whirling or spinning motion. That noun itself derives from "vertere," "to turn," the same root behind English words like "vertex," "reverse," and "convert." So the word's core idea is turning, and the sense of spinning that makes you lose your footing came first, before the later meaning of dizziness in the head. The English word arrived through Middle French "vertigineux," a form that carried the same sense of whirling and giddiness across the Channel. Its Latin ancestor was built on the spinning idea, so a person who feels vertiginous is, etymologically, experiencing the world turning around them.

Synonyms: dizzying, giddy