Meanings
adjectivehorn-mad (comparative more horn-mad, superlative most horn-mad)
comparative more horn-mad · superlative most horn-mad
- obsoleteFurious; enraged.
If this should ever happen, thou wouldst be horn-mad.
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)
Origin
Perhaps in reference to the figurative horns of a cuckold, who would be enraged at the moment of discovery. Compare Dutch hoorndol.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
horn-mad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horn-mad
MLA
“horn-mad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horn-mad. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “horn-mad,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horn-mad.
Source: horn-mad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.