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The word part "mania" is a root that means "madness, frenzy".
The English suffix-mania denotes an obsession with something; a mania. The suffix is used in some medical terms denoting mental disorders. It has also entered standard English and is affixed to many different words to denote enthusiasm or obsession with that subject.
The noun 'mania' has an etymology that delves into the realm of intense emotions and irrational behavior. It finds its roots in ancient Greece, where it draws from the Greek word 'mainesthai,' which means 'to be mad' or 'to be frenzied.'
The earliest known use of the noun mania is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for mania is from before 1398, in a translation by John Trevisa, translator. mania is a borrowing from Latin .
The concept of “Mania” is intimately linked to the evolution of psychiatry itself. The word Mania has two Proto-Indo-European roots, *mn̥yo- and * men -, meaning “to think” or “to remember”; however, many other Indo-European derivations are more akin to passion and desire [ 1 ]. Thinking and memory are central to cognition as ...
There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the word maniac. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Mania goes back via post-classical Latin mania ‘mental disorder’ to ancient Greek mania ‘madness, inspired frenzy’, based on mainesthai ‘to rage, be furious, in a frenzy, inspired’, source also of the wild Greek ...
