frenzy

English

English Wikipedia has articles on:

frenzied and frenzy (disambiguation)

From Middle English frensy, frenesie, from Old French frenesie, from Latin phrenesis, from Ancient Greek *φρένησις (*phrénēsis), a later equivalent of φρενῖτις (phrenîtis, “inflammation of the brain”): see frantic and frenetic. Doublet of phrenesis.

frenzy (countable and uncountable, plural frenzies)

A state of wild activity or panic.
She went into a cleaning frenzy to prepare for the unexpected guests.
- 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 170:
  It is during these frenzies that sharks have been known to bite everything in sight, including other sharks engaged in the same activity.
- 1999, Linda Flavell, Roger Flavell, “1066[:] The Normans Begin to Erect Castles”, in dictionary of english down through the ages[:] words & phrases born out of historical events great & small, 2005 edition, London: Kyle Cathie Limited, →ISBN, page 17:
  The early years of Norman occupation saw a frenzy of castle building.
A violent agitation of the mind approaching madness; rage.
- 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 1:
  All else is towering frenzy and distraction.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
  The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling.

state of wild activity or panic

Armenian: կատաղություն (hy) (kataġutʻyun)
Bikol Central: labulabo
Bulgarian: ярост (bg) f (jarost), безумие (bg) n (bezumie)
Catalan: frenesí
Chinese:
Mandarin: 發狂 / 发狂 (zh) (fākuáng), 狂熱 / 狂热 (zh) (kuángrè)
Danish: vanvid (da), raseri (da)
Dutch: razernij (nl) f
Finnish: vimma (fi), kiihko (fi), paniikki (fi)
French: frénésie (fr) f
Galician: farnesía f, guinada f
German: Wahn (de) m, Rausch (de) m, Wut (de) f
Greek: φρενίτιδα (el) f (frenítida)
Italian: frenesia (it)
Japanese: 逆上 (ja) (ぎゃくじょう, gyakujō)
Korean: 발광(發狂) (ko) (balgwang), 광란(狂亂) (ko) (gwangnan)
Latin: furia f
Latvian: trakums m
Maori: hōkeka
Plautdietsch: Wonsenn m
Polish: szał (pl) m, amok (pl) m
Portuguese: frenesi (pt)
Romanian: frenezie (ro)
Russian: неи́стовство (ru) n (neístovstvo), безу́мие (ru) n (bezúmije), помеша́тельство (ru) n (pomešátelʹstvo), сумасше́ствие (ru) n (sumasšéstvije)
Sicilian: furia f, frinisìa f, sdilliriu m, sbentu m, smania f
Spanish: frenesí (es) m, manía (es) f
Telugu: వీరావేశము (te) (vīrāvēśamu)
Ukrainian: шаленство n (šalenstvo), шаленість f (šalenistʹ), божевілля (uk) n (boževillja)

frenzy (comparative more frenzy, superlative most frenzy)

(obsolete) Mad; frantic.
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress:
  They thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head.

frenzy (third-person singular simple present frenzies, present participle frenzying, simple past and past participle frenzied)

(uncommon) To render frantic.
- 1833, James Anthony Froude, Fraser's Magazine - Volume 7‎^[1], page 456:
  Both goaded on to strife by frenzying hate.
- 1865, Gerrit Smith, Speeches and Letters of Gerrit Smith‎^[2], page 14:
  Then there is the absorbing, not to say frenzying, interest, which attends our important elections.
(rare) To exhibit a frenzy, such as a feeding frenzy.
- 2009, Louise Southerden, Surf's Up: The Girl's Guide to Surfing‎^[3], →ISBN:
  The fresh smell of salt air, the sound of the crashing swell, the soothing immersion in the water, the sight of dolphins playing and fish frenzying beneath my board.