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a·mok

(ə-mŭk, ə-mŏk) also a·muck (ə-mŭk)

adv.

1. In a frenzy to do violence or kill: rioters running amok in the streets.

2. In or into a jumbled or confused state: The plans went amok.

3. In or into an uncontrolled state or a state of extreme activity: "This jam-packed area of Honolulu has come to stand for tourist development run amok" (Ila Stanger).

adj.

Crazed with murderous frenzy: amok troops.

[Early Modern English amuck, from Malay amok, furious attack, amok, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hamuk, attack.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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