Etymology

Caligulism

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Today it means: Madness, especially when of an extravagant or sadistic nature. Full definition →

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The story

From Caligula + -ism. The coining of this term is often attributed to Horace Walpole, who used it to describe Frederick, Prince of Wales, in a letter written on November 29, 1745, but in fact, the use of the term predates Walpole.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.