hectic
- hectic
- [14] The use of hectic for referring to
‘great haste or confusion’ is a surprisingly recent
development, not recorded before the first
decade of the 20th century. It originally meant in
English ‘suffering from fever, particularly of the
sort that characterizes tuberculosis or
septicaemia’ (the metaphorical progression to
‘feverishly active’ is an obvious one). English
acquired the word via Old French etique and late
Latin hecticus from Greek hektikós, which
meant literally ‘habitual’, and hence ‘suffering
from a habitual or recurrent fever, consumptive’.
It was a derivative of héxis ‘condition, habit’,
which in turn was formed from the verb ékhein
‘hold, be in a particular condition’, which has
also given English epoch. (The original English
form of the word was etik; hectic represents a
16th-century return to the Latin form.)
* * *
The word was originally a medical term relating to the symptoms that usually accompany a fever. Hence its present sense to denote 'feverish' activity. The origin of the word is thus in Greek hektikos, 'habitual.'
The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins.
2013.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
hectic — 1. The meaning that is now the dominant one, ‘busy and confused’, is fairly recent (early 20c) and has developed in the same way as the figurative meaning of feverish. Hectic was originally an adjective or noun referring to the kind of fever that … Modern English usage
hectic — hec‧tic [ˈhektɪk] adjective FINANCE hectic trading is when a lot of people buy and sell shares, currencies etc: • hectic trading in which 3.1 million shares changed hands * * * hectic UK US /ˈhektɪk/ adjective ► extremely busy: »Business has been … Financial and business terms
Hectic — Hec tic, a. [F. hectique, Gr. ? habitual, consumptive, fr. ? habit, a habit of body or mind, fr. ? to have; akin to Skr. sah to overpower, endure; cf. AS. sige, sigor, victory, G. sieg, Goth. sigis. Cf. {Scheme}.] 1. Habitual; constitutional;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Hectic — Hec tic, n. 1. (Med.) Hectic fever. [1913 Webster] 2. A hectic flush. [1913 Webster] It is no living hue, but a strange hectic. Byron. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hectic — HÉCTIC v. hectică. Trimis de cata, 11.05.2008. Sursa: Neoficial héctic adj. m., pl. héctici; f. sg. héctică, pl. héctice Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortogra … Dicționar Român
hectic — (adj.) late 14c., etik (in fever etik), from O.Fr. etique consumptive, from L.L. hecticus, from Gk. hektikos continuous, habitual, consumptive (of a disease, because of the constant fever), from hexis a habit (of mind or body), from ekhein have,… … Etymology dictionary
hectic — [hek′tik] adj. [altered (after Fr or L) < ME etik < OFr étique (Fr hectique) < LL hecticus < Gr hektikos, habitual, hectic < hexis, permanent condition or habit of the body < echein, to have: for IE base see SCHOOL1] 1.… … English World dictionary
hectic — [adj] frantic, turbulent animated, boisterous, burning, chaotic, confused, disordered, excited, exciting, fervid, fevered, feverish, flurrying, flustering, frenetic, frenzied, furious, hassle, heated, hell broke loose*, jungle*, madhouse*, nutsy* … New thesaurus
hectic — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ full of incessant or frantic activity. DERIVATIVES hectically adverb. ORIGIN Greek hektikos habitual … English terms dictionary
Hectic — Infobox Album | Name = Hectic Type = EP Artist = Operation Ivy Released = Original: 1988 Recorded = September 1987 Genre = Ska core Ska punk Length = 10:31 Label = Lookout Producer = Operation Ivy Last album = This album = Hectic (1988) Next… … Wikipedia
hectic — /ˈhɛktɪk / (say hektik) adjective 1. characterised by great excitement, passion, activity, confusion, haste: a hectic meeting; a hectic day. 2. marking a particular habit or condition of body, as the fever of phthisis (hectic fever) when this is… …
