amok
/əˈmɒk/
amok
English
Adv Top 28,445
Ad
Definition
Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
Etymology
Borrowed 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, which was translated to English by Henry E. J. Stanley.
Example Sentences
- "It is true, I […] might have run “amok” against society; but I preferred that society should run “amok” against me, it being the desperate party."
Ad