amok

Meanings

Adverb

• Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
• In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.

Noun

• One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.
• The act of running amok.

Verb

• Synonym of run amok

Origin

• From Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk ("to go on a killing spree").
• The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text "The Book of Duarte Barbosa: An Account of the Countries Bordering on the Indian Ocean and Their Inhabitants", which was translated to English by Stanley.