English
demented
Demented comes from Latin demento ‘to make mad or crazy, drive crazy’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *men-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-1root named by Wiktionary
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdemento1as dēmentāre‘to make mad or crazy, drive crazy’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1990demented1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English demented
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1990, How to Play Super C, Konami: “One of these new recruits is Jagger Froid, a…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-Wiktionary, English dementedroot named by Wiktionary
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdementoWiktionary, English dementedas dēmentāre‘to make mad or crazy, drive crazy’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1990dementedWiktionary, English demented. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1990, How to Play Super C, Konami: “One of these new recruits is Jagger Froid, a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men-
money, music, mind, amount, mouth, museum, remain, mountain, auto, min, monitor, comment, monster, mount, permanent, mental, mention, monetary, monk, maya, demonstration, mint, amnesty, muse, mosaic, summon, ming, mas, mandarin, monastery, mania, monstrous, prominence, monument, amnesia, mentor, imminent, manic, mantra, monte, 123 more
Today it means
adj Insane; mentally ill.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “demented”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / demented