See Also: lunatic(medicine)
lunatic(dictionary)
lunatic(dictionary)
lunatic asylum(dictionary)
LUNATIC, persons(law)
Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum(health)

lunatic (iou)



lunatic adjective & noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French lunatique from late Latin lunaticus, from Latin LUNA moon: see -ATIC.]
A. adjective.
Insane; orig., affected by an intermittent kind of insanity supposed to be brought about by the changes of the moon. Formerly in Law, affected by such mental unsoundness as interferes with civil rights or transactions. ME.
b. Madly foolish, wildly eccentric, frantic, idiotic; (of an action, appearance, etc.) indicating lunacy or mad folly. E16.
a. Influenced by the moon. LME-L16.
b. Of a horse: affected with moon-blindness; moon-blind. L16-M18.
b. noun.
An insane person; a person of unsound mind; a madman. LME.
A madly foolish or idiotic person. E17.
Comb. & special collocations: lunatic asylum (chiefly Hist.) a mental home or hospital; lunatic fringe: see FRINGE noun.