noun

lunatic

lunatic, madman

Only a lunatic would drive in this storm.

Only a lunatic would drive in this storm.

He was shouting like a lunatic.

He was shouting like a lunatic.

a/the lunatic a person who is mentally ill (dated and offensive) He was called a lunatic for his strange ideas.

Synonyms: madman, maniac, crazy person

From Latin 'lunaticus' (moon-struck), from the old belief that madness was caused by the moon.

Connect it to 'luna' (moon) and the old superstition that the moon's phases could make people crazy.

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