In particular, its first use is documented in the Vulgate, the fifth-century Latin version of the Bible,translated from the Ancient Greek by Jerome (347–420) on commission of Pope Damasus. The original meaning of the term “lunaticus” is not related only to insanity. There is also a scientific publication titled The disease of the moon: the linguistic and pathological evolution of the English term "lunatic" from that the origin of the word is related to epilepsy: The paroxysmal nature of the disease was thought to be dependent upon the phases of the moon. This appears in the Vulgate (405) of the Dalmatian Christian writer Saint Jerome (Eusebius Hieronymus, 348–420) as an epithet for “a moon-struck” person, whence “crazed, insane, lunatic.” It was used of epilepsy, from the notion that the seizures were precipitated by moonlight. It was believed that epilepsy seizures were triggered by moonlight hence lunatic was used for those patients. Why does "lunatic" have a stronger connotation than crazy, insane, out of mind, etc.?Įdit: commented, "In France, lunatique means something along the lines of erratic or mercurial." If someone was called crazy just because he was affected by the Moon's cycle, is there a word that has anything to do with the Sun's cycle meaning "a bit less crazy" or "more mentally stable than lunatic", etc?
Was there any etymological reason why they had to use "lunatic" in place of "lunar" for "crazy"? How did "lunatic" evolve to mean "crazy"? (I could guess, but I don't exactly understand what " moon-struck" and " moon-sick" mean in the the above.)ĭoes suffix "-tic" have any special function itself or was it just used to make a different adjective from "lunar" because the Moon was called "luna" in Latin? I found a list of words that ends with "-tic", but I can't find anything in common. "Lunar" and "Lunatic" seem to have evolved in a different way. "be epileptic," from selene "moon." Lunatic fringe (1913) apparently Compare also New Testament Greek seleniazomai Middle High German lune "humor, temper, mood, whim, fancy" (German Compare Old English monseoc "lunatic," literally " moon-sick " Of the moon," from Old French lunatique, lunage "insane," or directlyįrom Late Latin lunaticus " moon-struck," from Latin luna "moon" (see
Late 13c., "affected with periodic insanity, dependent on the changes I know what the word " lunatic" means and it has something to do with the "Moon" as the "Online Etymology Dictionary" explains:
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