(a) Of persons or other sentient beings: insane, mentally deranged, of unsound mind, out of one’s mind; ~ man, a madman; ~ sik [OE wōd-sēoc], insane, mad; brain ~, out of one’s mind; waxen ~ from, to become mad because of (sth.), be made mad by; (b) in adv. phrases of comparison denoting a manner similar in some respect to that of a lunatic: as a ~ man, as he (she, thei, etc.) were ~, etc.; as he had ben wilde ~; lik half a ~ man, like a man half mad; (c) in phrases with adv. qualifiers, the phrase as a whole denoting a state of agitation tantamount to lunacy: forneh ~, half ~, wel) neigh ~, werse (more) than ~, etc.; (d) in hyperbolic rhetorical questions; (e) as noun: those who are insane, the mad; (f) of a substance, a topographical feature: inducing madness; (g) in proverbs and prov. expressions.

Of a person, an animal: rabid; also, of an animal’s mouth: displaying signs of rabies, foaming, slavering;—used in fig. context.

(a) Of a person or other sentient being: emotionally distressed or agitated, driven to distraction, beside oneself, frantic, desperate; brain ~, distraught; maken ~, to vex or grieve (sb.); also, ?frustrate (sb.); (b) of a person, God, a goddess, an animal: enraged, furious; wrathful, of irascible temper; irate, irritated; ~ and wroth, wroth (furious) and ~, etc.; ~ ayen, hostile against (sb., the faith); ~ ayenes (in, on, upon, with), angry with (sb., oneself); (c) of a person or an animal: maddened, frenzied; raving; also, fervent, excited, intent [sometimes difficult to distinguish from (b) and vice versa]; brain ~, in a frenzy; mannish ~, mad after men; wilde ~; word ~, unrestrained in speech; (d) reckless, imprudent, foolhardy, wild; ?also, bold, daring, courageous [quot. c1325]; also, as noun: one who is wild or reckless [1st quot.]; ~ of wine; brain ~, of a drunkard: mindless, out of control, wild; (e) wrongheaded, perverse, foolish to the point of madness or wickedness; also, witless; also used as a term of abuse; sinne ~; also as noun, in phrase: wilful ~, the willfully perverse, the willful fools; (f) of a person or an animal: fierce, ferocious, savage, violent; also in fig. context; as a ~ beste (lioun, wolf); (g) in conventional comparisons and prov. expressions: ~ as beste (lioun, etc.), etc.

Of an animal: wild as opposed to tame or domesticated.

(a) Of the wits: deranged; of frenzy: insane; of the flesh: unreasoning; of the world: disordered, chaotic, mad; of noise: tumultuous; ~ drem [OE wōd-drēam], a fit of madness, a frenzy [cp. woden-drem n.]; ~ mone-dai, a Monday full of destruction or tumult; (b) of someone’s face or appearance: angry, enraged; of a look: furious; (c) of wisdom, a judgment: unreasonable, foolish; (d) of an emotion, pain, jealousy, etc.: inordinately intense, powerful, overpowering, overweening; of verse: impassioned [quot. ?a1425(c1380)]; of wrath, anger: furious, great; (e) of Cupid’s arrows: causing pain or confusion; (f) in adv. phrases with wis(e n.(2): ~ wise, in a frenzy, madly; o (on) ~ wise, angrily, furiously.

Eager, desirous; with inf.: eager (to do sth.), wildly zealous; ~ after (in, in-to, on, to, upon), desirous of (sb. or sth.), eager for.

In phrase: waxen ~ from, ?to be alienated from (God), be overcome with repugnance for.

(a) Of wind, waves, weather, etc.: turbulent, agitated; of a storm: intense, fierce; of the force of wind, a plague: violent, great; also, in conventional comparisons: ~ as fir (wind); ragi ~, of certain months: wildly raging, stormy; (b) in comparisons having adv. force, following verbs of burning, bleeding, churning, etc.: as hit (so he) were ~, violently, strongly, with great force, like mad; (c) med. & physiol. of a bodily humor or fluid: evil, malign, pathological, causing disease or disorder; of a disease or pathological condition: severe, virulent; of an aposteme: angry, irritated, inflamed; of a medicine: potent, harsh.