crazy (English)
Where does "crazy" come from?
The English adjective 'crazy' developed from the verb 'craze' meaning 'to crush', combined with the adjectival suffix '-y'[1]. The underlying verb 'craze' itself traces back to Middle English 'crasen' meaning 'to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze'[2]. This Middle English form originates from the Old Norse term '*krasa' meaning 'to shatter', which is ultimately imitative in origin[2].
Open questions
- The Old Norse source form is a reconstructed form rather than a directly attested one. [2]
- The origin of the Old Norse term is described as ultimately imitative. [2]
Full etymology tree
- crazy (English), 'Of unsound mind; insane; demented.'
- derived craze (English), 'A strong habitual desire or fancy.'
- inherited crasen (Middle English), 'To break in pieces; to crack.'
- inherited *krasa (Old Norse)
- inherited crasen (Middle English), 'To break in pieces; to crack.'
- suffix -y (English), 'Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.'
- derived craze (English), 'A strong habitual desire or fancy.'
Descendants and derived words
- boy crazy (English)
- boy-crazy (English)
- bureaucrazy (English)
- covid-crazy (English)
- cray (English)
- cray (English)
- craze (English)
- craze (English)
- crazily (English)
- craziness (English)
- crazing (English)
- crazing (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris