giddy · adj — feeling a sense of spinning in the head, causing a perception of unsteadiness and being about to fall down; dizzy. It carries an Arena rating of 1564, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, giddy ranks #482 of 17,144 for Most Malleable Words, #1,507 of 17,136 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,077 of 17,153 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,329 of 17,146 for Most Vivid Words.
giddy is pronounced /ˈɡɪd.i/.
Why “giddy” is a great word
A sensation of whirling or unsteadiness, often accompanied by lightheadedness or frivolous excitement. From Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy, from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ ('possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad'), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg ('ghostly, spirited', literally 'possessed by a god or spirit'), from *god ('god') + *-ig (suffix forming adjectives). The sense of dizziness is attested from around 1400. Unlike dizzy, which charts a purely physical vertigo, or frivolous, which sketches mere silliness, giddy is the vertiginous intersection of the two: a head-spinning that lifts the spirit. It is the view from a great height that pulls you toward the edge, the champagne effervescence of a room tilting after midnight, the warm, rising bubble of forbidden laughter in a silent library—proof that the oldest madnesses were not illness, but the gods briefly moving in us.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy (“demonically controlled or possessed; crazy, insane; foolish, idiotic, ridiculous, unwise; unsure; (rare) dizzy, shaky; (rare) of an animal: crazed, out of control; a fool”) [and other forms], from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ (“possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad”), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg (“ghostly, spirited”, literally “possessed by a god or spirit”), from *god (“god”) + *-ig, *-g (suffix forming adjectives with the senses of being, doing, or having). The English word is analysable as god + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’, forming adjectives). The noun and the verb are derived from the adjective.
adj
- Feeling a sense of spinning in the head, causing a perception of unsteadiness and being about to fall down; dizzy.e.g.“The man became giddy upon standing up so fast.”
- Causing or likely to cause dizziness or a feeling of unsteadiness.e.g.“They climbed to a giddy height.”
- Moving around something or spinning rapidly.
- Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive; also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.
- Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive; also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.; Used as an intensifier.e.g.“'E isn't one o' the reg'lar Line, nor 'e isn't one of the crew. / 'E's a kind of a giddy harumfrodite—soldier an' sailor too!” — 1896, Rudyard Kipling, “[Barrack-Room Ballads.] ‘Soldier an’ Sailor Too’.”, in The Seven Seas, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 171:
- Joyfully elated; overcome with excitement or happiness.e.g.“The boy was giddy when he opened his birthday presents.”
- Feeling great anger; furious, raging.
- Of an animal, chiefly a sheep: affected by gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”), which may result in the animal turning around aimlessly.
- Of a thing, especially a ship: unsteady, as if dizzy.
noun
- Someone or something that is frivolous or impulsive.
- Synonym of gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”).
verb
- To make (someone or something) dizzy or unsteady; to dizzy.
- To become dizzy or unsteady.e.g.“Giddied, he gave up a moment's purchase of ground.” — 1981, Nadine Gordimer, July’s People, 1st UK edition, London: Jonathan Cape […], →ISBN, page 98:
- To move around something or spin rapidly; to reel; to whirl.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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