amok

English

Alternative forms

• amuck, amock

Etymology

From Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

The term first popped up in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text "The Book of Duarte Barbosa: An Account of the Countries Bordering on the Indian Ocean and Their Inhabitants", which was translated to English by Stanley.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈmɒk/, /əˈmʌk/
• Rhymes: -ɒk

Adverb

amok (comparative more amok, superlative most amok)

1. Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
2. In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.
   • 1854, Thoreau, Walden:

     I […] might have run ‘amok’ against society; but I preferred that society should run ‘amok’ against me.”

Usage notes

Almost exclusively used in the phrase run amok.

Derived terms

• run amok

Descendants

• → Cebuano: amok
• → Czech: amok
• → Danish: amok (or directly from Dutch amok)
• → Finnish: amok
• → German: Amok
• → Hebrew: אמוק (ámok)
• → Norwegian: amok
• → Serbo-Croatian:
  • Cyrillic script: амок
  • Latin script: amok
• → Swedish: amok

Translations

in a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk

• Czech: amok (cs) m
• Danish: amok (da)
• Finnish: amok (fi)
• German: Amok (de)
• Hebrew: אמוק (he) m (ámok)
• Indonesian: amuk (id), mengamuk (id)
• Interlingue:
• Italian: all'impazzata
• Malay: amuk (ms)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: amok

  Nynorsk: amok

• Occitan: amoc
• Portuguese: amouco
• Russian: бе́шено (ru) (béšeno)
• Spanish: desenfrenado (es) m
• Swedish: amok (sv)
• Welsh: yn wyllt, fel peth gwyllt

Noun

amok (plural amoks)

1. One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.

References

• https://kbbi.web.id/amuk
• Duarte Barbosa, Mansel Longworth Dames, (1518) "The book of Duarte Barbosa: an account of the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean and their inhabitants", Asian Educational Services, 1989, →ISBN

Anagrams

• Kamo, Moak, Omak, mako, moka

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Cebuano

Etymology 1

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). Displaced amog.

Verb

amok

1. to run amok

Noun

amok

1. one who runs amok

Etymology 2

Unknown.

Noun

amok

1. a surf; waves that break on an ocean shoreline

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Czech

Etymology

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Noun

1. Condition of amok behaving.

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Danish

Etymology

From English amok or from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Adjective

amok

1. Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
2. In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.

Usage notes

Almost exclusively used in the phrase gå amok.

Derived terms

• gå amok

Related terms

• berserkergang

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay amuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːˈmɔk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧mok
• Rhymes: -ɔk

Noun

amok n or m (plural amoks)

1. (historical, chiefly uncountable) A murderous frenzy, a killing spree in Malay culture.
2. (historical, countable) One who runs amok, someone who is on such a killing spree.

   Synonym: amokmaker

3. (uncountable) uproar, riot, noise

Derived terms

• amokmaker

Descendants

• → Danish: amok (or through English amok)

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Finnish

Etymology

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Noun

amok

1. amok (one who runs amok)

Declension

Inflection of amok (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		amok	amokit
genitive		amokin	amokien
partitive		amokia	amokeja
illative		amokiin	amokeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		amok	amokit
accusative	nom.	amok	amokit
	gen.	amokin
genitive		amokin	amokien
partitive		amokia	amokeja
inessive		amokissa	amokeissa
elative		amokista	amokeista
illative		amokiin	amokeihin
adessive		amokilla	amokeilla
ablative		amokilta	amokeilta
allative		amokille	amokeille
essive		amokina	amokeina
translative		amokiksi	amokeiksi
abessive		amokitta	amokeitta
instructive		—	amokein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of amok (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative amokini amokini accusative nom. amokini amokini gen. amokini genitive amokini amokieni partitive amokiani amokejani inessive amokissani amokeissani elative amokistani amokeistani illative amokiini amokeihini adessive amokillani amokeillani ablative amokiltani amokeiltani allative amokilleni amokeilleni essive amokinani amokeinani translative amokikseni amokeikseni abessive amokittani amokeittani instructive — — comitative — amokeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative amokisi amokisi accusative nom. amokisi amokisi gen. amokisi genitive amokisi amokiesi partitive amokiasi amokejasi inessive amokissasi amokeissasi elative amokistasi amokeistasi illative amokiisi amokeihisi adessive amokillasi amokeillasi ablative amokiltasi amokeiltasi allative amokillesi amokeillesi essive amokinasi amokeinasi translative amokiksesi amokeiksesi abessive amokittasi amokeittasi instructive — — comitative — amokeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative amokimme amokimme accusative nom. amokimme amokimme gen. amokimme genitive amokimme amokiemme partitive amokiamme amokejamme inessive amokissamme amokeissamme elative amokistamme amokeistamme illative amokiimme amokeihimme adessive amokillamme amokeillamme ablative amokiltamme amokeiltamme allative amokillemme amokeillemme essive amokinamme amokeinamme translative amokiksemme amokeiksemme abessive amokittamme amokeittamme instructive — — comitative — amokeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative amokinne amokinne accusative nom. amokinne amokinne gen. amokinne genitive amokinne amokienne partitive amokianne amokejanne inessive amokissanne amokeissanne elative amokistanne amokeistanne illative amokiinne amokeihinne adessive amokillanne amokeillanne ablative amokiltanne amokeiltanne allative amokillenne amokeillenne essive amokinanne amokeinanne translative amokiksenne amokeiksenne abessive amokittanne amokeittanne instructive — — comitative — amokeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative amokinsa amokinsa accusative nom. amokinsa amokinsa gen. amokinsa genitive amokinsa amokiensa partitive amokiaan amokiansa amokejaan amokejansa inessive amokissaan amokissansa amokeissaan amokeissansa elative amokistaan amokistansa amokeistaan amokeistansa illative amokiinsa amokeihinsa adessive amokillaan amokillansa amokeillaan amokeillansa ablative amokiltaan amokiltansa amokeiltaan amokeiltansa allative amokilleen amokillensa amokeilleen amokeillensa essive amokinaan amokinansa amokeinaan amokeinansa translative amokikseen amokiksensa amokeikseen amokeiksensa abessive amokittaan amokittansa amokeittaan amokeittansa instructive — — comitative — amokeineen amokeinensa

Derived terms

• amokjuoksija
• amokjuoksu

Anagrams

• koma, mako, moka

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Adverb

amok

1. amok

Derived terms

• gå amok
• løpe amok

Related terms

• berserkergang

References

• “amok” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Adverb

amok

1. amok

Derived terms

• gå amok

References

• “amok” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From English amok, from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”).

Noun

amok m (Cyrillic spelling амок)

1. Condition of amok behaving.

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Tocharian B

Etymology

Borrowed from a Middle Persian source.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

amok ?

1. art, artifice, craft

Derived terms

• amok(äts)tse
• amokӓşşe

 

Further reading

• Adams, Douglas Q. (2013) A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN