amok · adverb, noun, verb1
- Malay · derived fromamuk“to go on a killing spree”
- Portuguese · borrowed fromamouco
- English todayamok
Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa, which was translated to English by Henry E. J. Stanley.
amok · noun2
- Khmer · borrowed fromអាម៉ុក
- Khmer · borrowed fromអាម៉ុក
- English todayamok
Borrowed from Khmer អាម៉ុក (ʼaamok, “to steam in banana leaves”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.