amok
adverb /əˈmɒk/
/əˈmɑːk/
Word Originmid 17th cent.: via Portuguese amouco, from Malay amok ‘rushing in a frenzy’. Early use was as a noun denoting a Malay in a homicidal frenzy; the adverb use dates from the late 17th cent.
Idioms Idioms
run amok
- to suddenly become very angry or excited and start behaving violently, especially in a public place
- Some drunken students had run amok in the college car park.