What does running amuck mean?
1 : in a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner —used in the phrase run amok rioters running amok in the streetsConditions had allowed extremism to run amok. 2 : in a murderously frenzied state. amok. adjective.
Is it run amok or run amuck?
Running amok, sometimes referred to as simply amok or having gone amok, also spelled amuck or amuk, is the act of behaving disruptively or uncontrollably.
Where did Saying run amuck come from?
The term originated in Southeast Asia, where ‘amok’ (variously spelled amuk, amuck, amuco) meant ‘a murderous frenzy or rage’. This derived from the state of mind of the Amuco – a class of ‘death or glory’ warriors who were employed in local power struggles in Java and Malaysia.
What is a muck amok?
Amok is the 21st-century standard spelling of the word meaning (1) in a frenzy to do violence, or (2) in an uncontrolled state. Amuck is an old alternative spelling of the Malaysian loanword, and it had a few decades of prevalence before the middle 20th century, but it has now fallen out of favor.
How do you treat amok?
The mass violence observed in running amok may be caused by a variety of psychiatric conditions, and medical treatment should therefore be aimed at a diagnosable mental disorder or a personality disorder. In general, depressive disorders can be treated with antidepressants and supportive psychotherapy.
How do you use run amok in a sentence?
Amok sentence example The children were running amok when their teacher stepped away from the classroom. Police officers from the neighboring city were called in to restore order after rioters ran amok in the streets. She does not let the kids have sugar after dinner because they would run amok at bedtime.
What is amok psychology?
amok (amuck) n. a culture-bound syndrome observed among males in Malaysia, the Philippines, and other parts of southeast Asia. The individual experiences a period of social withdrawal and apathy, before making a violent, unprovoked attack on nearby individuals.
Is run amok an idiom?
Also, run riot or wild . Behave in a frenzied, out-of-control, or unrestrained manner. For example, I was afraid that if I left the toddler alone she would run amok and have a hard time calming down , or The weeds are running riot in the lawn, or The children were running wild in the playground.
Who says amok amok amok?
Sarah Sanderson
51. “Winifred Sanderson: Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok! Sarah Sanderson: Amok! amok, amok, amok.”
What is the meaning of run amuck?
run amok behave uncontrollably and disruptively. Amok, formerly also spelt amuck, comes from the Malay word amuk, meaning ‘in a homicidal frenzy’, in which sense it was first introduced into English in the early 16th century. 1990 New York Review of Books Hersh’s article is sensationalism run amok.
What is it called when a person runs amok?
Running amok, sometimes referred to as simply amok or gone amok, also spelled amuck or amuk, from the Southeast Asian Austronesian languages (especially Malaysian and Indonesian), is “an episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects usually by a single individual following a period of brooding that has traditionally been regarded as
What is the difference between amuck and Amok?
Amok and amuck are two variants of the same adverb. It most commonly appears as part of the phrase run amok, which means out of control. While amuck and amok share a common origin, amuck has fallen out of favor. Today, amok is considered the standard spelling of this word.
What is the etymology of the word Amuck?
[Early Modern English amuck, from Malay amok, furious attack, amok, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hamuk, attack .] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.