† wedev.
Obsolete.
1.
a. intransitive. To be or become mad. Cf. awede v.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > be or become mad [verb (intransitive)]
dwelec900
wedec900
awedeeOE
starea1275
braidc1275
ravea1325
to be out of mindc1325
woodc1374
to lose one's mindc1380
madc1384
forgetc1385
to go out of one's minda1398
to wede (out) of, but wita1400
foolc1400
to go (also fall, run) mada1450
forcene1490
ragec1515
waltc1540
maddle?c1550
to go (also run, set) a-madding (or on madding)1565
pass of wita1616
to have a gad-bee in one's brain1682
madden1704
to go (also be) off at the nail1721
distract1768
craze1818
to get a rat1890
to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read)1896
(to have) bats in the belfryc1901
to have straws in one's hair1923
to take the bats1927
to go haywire1929
to go mental1930
to go troppo1941
to come apart1954
c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) v. xiii. 438 Cwæð he; Ne wede ic [L. non insanio].
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) x. 20 Deofol is on him & he wet.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 1264 Þes keiser..as mon þet bigon to weden & to wurðen ut of his ahne witte, wodeliche ȝeide [etc.].
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1509 He..went hom a-ȝeine, weping as he wold wide for wo & for sorwe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3749 Me es sua waa, almast i weede.
a1400–50 Wars Alex. 539 I am all in aunter, sa akis me þe wame, Of werke well ne I wede.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1585 So was þe wyȝe wytles, he wed wel ner.
c1400 Rowland & Otuel 936 He..ferde als he wolde wede.
a1413 Anturs of Arth. (Taylor) 558 Neȝtehond Syr Wauan wold wede, So wepputte he fulle sore.
b. Phrase. to wede (out) of, but wit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > be or become mad [verb (intransitive)]
dwelec900
wedec900
awedeeOE
starea1275
braidc1275
ravea1325
to be out of mindc1325
woodc1374
to lose one's mindc1380
madc1384
forgetc1385
to go out of one's minda1398
to wede (out) of, but wita1400
foolc1400
to go (also fall, run) mada1450
forcene1490
ragec1515
waltc1540
maddle?c1550
to go (also run, set) a-madding (or on madding)1565
pass of wita1616
to have a gad-bee in one's brain1682
madden1704
to go (also be) off at the nail1721
distract1768
craze1818
to get a rat1890
to need (to have) one's head examined (also checked, read)1896
(to have) bats in the belfryc1901
to have straws in one's hair1923
to take the bats1927
to go haywire1929
to go mental1930
to go troppo1941
to come apart1954
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 13975 Of þis womman þe grete fairede, Did mani man of witt to wede.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. x. 1903 Bot ay withe roris reythe he [rerde], Wedande but wit as a wode man.
a1450 Le Morte Arth. 651 Nighe of witte she wold wede.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 205 Thocht I for wo all out off witt suld weid.
2.
a. To be wild with anger or desire; to rage. Const. again; to (do something).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > to rage (of fury) [verb (intransitive)] > be or become furious
wedec1000
resea1250
ragea1400
rampc1405
rase1440
outragea1475
stampc1480
enragec1515
ournc1540
gry1594
fury1628
rampage1692
to stamp one's foot1821
to fire off1848
foam1852
fire1859
to stomp one's feetc1927
to spit chips1947
to spit cotton1947
to spit blood1963
to go ballistic1981
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > vehement or passionate desire > desire vehemently or passionately [verb (intransitive)]
burnc1000
wedec1000
scaldc1480
c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xvi. 225 He [the Devil] wet nu swiðe and wynð on ða cristenan.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 14140 Fra þatt grediȝnesse. Þatt doþ þe mann to wedenn rihht. To winnenn erþlic ahhte.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 193 Hwen mon logeð him bi ure lauerd þenne an earst bigineð þe deoflen toweden.
a1300 Cursor Mundi 2408 Quen þai þe see, for þi fairhede To reue me þe þan sal þai wede.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. vi. 1179 Fra þine he cessit for to weide Agayne þe cristyn men in deide.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. xiii. 4624 In ire as he was wedande þen.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xv. 179 No wonder if I wede; I that may do no dede, How shuld I theder wyn For eld?
a1500 Ratis Raving 2480 Wedand in a rage.
b. Of waves, pestilence: To rage, be furious.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > violent action or operation > be violent [verb (intransitive)]
wedec900
wrakec1330
ragea1475
tempest1477
rave1559
ruffle1579
violent1609
chafea1616
c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iii. xv. 200 Þa yða weollon & weddon þæs sæs.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. ix. iii. 230 In Scotlande þat ȝhere in wiolence [Was] wedande þe thride pestilence.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [adjective] > delirious or raving
wedingc725
lighta1500
light-headeda1500
ravinga1525
raving mad1541
frenetical1548
idle1548
delirant1600
deliring1600
frenetic1609
phrenitic1649
delirous1656
delirious1670
deliriate1689
rambling1700
straggle-brained1725
allochoos1811
ravers1938
c725 Corpus Gloss. L 198 Limphaticus, woedendi.
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. vii. §4 Hwa mæg þæm wedendan gietsere genoh forgifan?
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xi. 1776 Al brym he belyt in to brethe, And wrythit al in wedand wrethe.
c1480 (a1400) St. Cecilia 572 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 384 Almacius cane til hire say: ‘þat wedand wodnes do away, & sacryfy oure godis til’.
a1500 Ratis Raving 1644 Fore wedand Joy beand in vages Lattis al suthfast gud knawleges.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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