English Explanatory Dictionary

giddy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Feeling a sense of spinning in the head, causing a perception of unsteadiness and being about to fall down; dizzy.
  2. Causing or likely to cause dizziness or a feeling of unsteadiness.
  3. Moving around something or spinning rapidly.
  4. Unable to concentrate or think seriously; easily excited; impulsive; also, lightheartedly silly; frivolous.
  5. Used as an intensifier.
  6. Joyfully elated; overcome with excitement or happiness.
  7. Feeling great anger; furious, raging.
  8. Of an animal, chiefly a sheep: affected by gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”), which may result in the animal turning around aimlessly.
  9. Of a thing, especially a ship: unsteady, as if dizzy.
noun
  1. Someone or something that is frivolous or impulsive.
  2. Synonym of gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”).
verb
  1. To make (someone or something) dizzy or unsteady; to dizzy.
  2. To become dizzy or unsteady.
  3. To move around something or spin rapidly; to reel; to whirl.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡɪd.i/ [ˈɡɪɾ.i] En-us-giddy.ogg

Word forms

giddy giddier giddiest giddies giddying giddied

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy (“demonically controlled or possessed; crazy, insane; foolish, idiotic, ridiculous, unwise; unsure; (rare) dizzy, shaky; (rare) of an animal: crazed, out of control; a fool”) [and other forms], from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ (“possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad”), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg (“ghostly, spirited”, literally “possessed by a god or spirit”), from *god (“god”) + *-ig, *-g (suffix forming adjectives with the senses of being, doing, or having). The English word is analysable as god + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’, forming adjectives). The noun and the verb are derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

fuzzy fuzzy-headed fuzzy-minded light-headed rattleheaded shoogly vertiginate westy woozy vertiginous brainsick changeable feather-headed flighty giglot inconsistent overlight ecstatic joyous air-headed blissed out blissful enrapt rapt cock-a-hoop delighted elated euphoric exultant filled with happiness giddy gladsome gleeful greatly pleased joyful lighthearted orgasmic on cloud nine over the moon overjoyed thrilled walking on air gid

Derived words

act the giddy goat giddify giddily giddiness giddisome giddy as a windmill giddy-brained giddy-go-round giddy-headed giddyish giddy limit giddysome hitch in one's giddy-up my giddy aunt play the giddy goat play the giddy ox ungiddy giddy up

Translations

Bulgarian: лекомислен Bulgarian: вятърничав Dutch: lichtzinnig Dutch: onbezonnen Finnish: ailahtelevainen Finnish: iloinen French: étourdi Georgian: დაუფიქრებელი Georgian: ფუქსავატი Georgian: არასერიოზული Georgian: სულელური German: leichtfertig German: flatterhaft German: leicht abzulenkend German: aufgedreht German: ausgelassen German: freudig erregt German: lebhaft German: munter German: vergnügt Norwegian Bokmål: lettsindig Spanish: frívolo Spanish: veleidoso Chinese Mandarin: 輕 /轻 Hungarian: kerge Irish: aerach Irish: aertha Irish: alluaiceach Irish: baoth Mongolian: хөнгөн Mongolian: ᠬᠥᠩᠭᠡᠨ Scottish Gaelic: eu-cèillidh Scottish Gaelic: faoin Swedish: förnöjd Swedish: lycklig Swedish: själaglad Turkish: sersem Ottoman Turkish: سرسم
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on G Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary