Insanity
/ɪnˈsænɪti/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state of being insane; madness. countable, uncountable
"The defendant pleaded insanity in the hope of getting a reduced sentence."
- 2 relatively permanent disorder of the mind wordnet
Example
More examples"Genius is only one remove from insanity."
Etymology
A three-part word (root 'sane', prefix 'in-' meaning 'not', suffix '-ity', meaning 'the state of'). Derived from Latin precursory equivalents. Two possible candidates for construction order: * insane + -ity: īnsānus (“unhealthy; insane”) + -itās *: Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”). Modern forms of roots: in- + sane * in- + sanity: in- (“lacking; without”) + sānitās (“health; sanity”) *: Latin sānitās (“sound in mind; sane”), from sānus + -itās. Modern forms of roots: sane + -ity