madcap
English
Alternative forms
- mad-cap
- mad cap
Etymology
1580s, mad + cap,[1] with cap figuratively used for "head" here. Original literal sense "lunatic, crazy person", now used figuratively.
Pronunciation
Audio (US) (file)
Adjective
madcap (comparative more madcap, superlative most madcap)
- impulsive, hasty or reckless; capricious.
- The film featured a madcap car chase that went right through a crowded café.
Usage notes
Especially used for adventurous activities.
Noun
madcap (plural madcaps)
- An impulsive, hasty, capricious person.
- (obsolete) An insane person, a lunatic.
- 1590s, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John, Act 1, Scene 1:
- Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent us here!
- 1590s, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John, Act 1, Scene 1:
Translations
an impulsive, hasty, capricious person
|
An insane person, a lunatic
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References
- “madcap” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
- “Off the top.”, The Word Detective, October 28, 2005
- The Shakespearian dictionary, Smith, Elder, & co., 1832, p. 189
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