dizzy
- having a sensation of whirling and a tendency to fall; giddy; vertiginous.
- bewildered; confused.
- causing giddiness or confusion: a dizzy height.
- heedless; thoughtless.
- Informal. foolish; silly.
- to make dizzy.
Origin of dizzy
Dean
- James (Byron),1931–55, U.S. actor.
- Jay HannaDizzy, 1911–74, U.S. baseball pitcher.
- a male given name: from the Old English family name meaning “valley.”
Disraeli
- Benjamin, 1st Earl of BeaconsfieldDizzy, 1804–81, British statesman and novelist: prime minister 1868, 1874–80.
Gillespie
- John Birks [burks] /bɜrks/Dizzy, 1917–93, U.S. jazz trumpeter and composer.
Related Words
giddygroggywoozydistractedshakydumbwobblydazedcrazyfoolishsillyskittishblindmuddledbewilderedbemusedpuzzledlightaddledreelingExamples from the Web for dizzy
Contemporary Examples
The New York Post quoted a source saying, “He had been taking blood pressure medication and had experienced some dizzy spells.”
“As a result, doing both exercise and a cleanse can leave you feeling tired, dizzy and nauseous,” she says.
At the end of their segment, the BBC commentator Hazel Irvine noted how dizzy they must be.
The CBS network has now been switched off for millions of viewers, and the propaganda war would make George Orwell dizzy.
Bickering Behemoths: Time Warner Cable Dispute With CBS Leaves Viewers in the DarkLloyd Grove
August 5, 2013
And maybe her concussion was pretty bad, and she was dizzy and miserable and in bed a lot, and eventually the clot returned.
Historical Examples
For as he tried to sit up, he fell back sick and dizzy on the bed.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
Harriet's climbing was not so rapid as to make her dizzy; but business was coming.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
My head is so dizzy, and my eyes so——What do you think, sir?
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
"Hardly," replied Christian, gazing upwards at the dizzy height.
The Slave Of The LampHenry Seton Merriman
The tremendous shaking had made her dizzy, and she lost her memory for some days.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
dizzy
- affected with a whirling or reeling sensation; giddy
- mentally confused or bewildered
- causing or tending to cause vertigo or bewilderment
- informal foolish or flighty
- (tr) to make dizzy
Word Origin
dean
- the chief administrative official of a college or university faculty
- (at Oxford and Cambridge universities) a college fellow with responsibility for undergraduate discipline
- mainly Church of England the head of a chapter of canons and administrator of a cathedral or collegiate church
- RC Church the cardinal bishop senior by consecration and head of the college of cardinalsSee also rural dean Related adjective: decanal
Word Origin
Dean1
- Forest of Dean a forest in W England, in Gloucestershire, between the Rivers Severn and Wye: formerly a royal hunting ground
Dean2
- Christopher. See Torvill and Dean
- James (Byron). 1931–55, US film actor, who became a cult figure; his films include East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause (both 1955). He died in a car crash
Gillespie
- Dizzy, nickname of John Birks Gillespie. 1917–93, US jazz trumpeter
Disraeli
- Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield. 1804–81, British Tory statesman and novelist; prime minister (1868; 1874–80). He gave coherence to the Tory principles of protectionism and imperialism, was responsible for the Reform Bill (1867) and, as prime minister, bought a controlling interest in the Suez Canal. His novels include Coningsby (1844) and Sybil (1845)
Word Origin and History for dizzy
adj.
Old English dysig "foolish, stupid," from Proto-Germanic *dusijaz (cf. Low German düsig "dizzy," Dutch duizelen "to be dizzy," Old High German dusig "foolish," German Tor "fool," Old English dwæs, Dutch dwaas "foolish"), perhaps from PIE *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke; to rise in a cloud" (and related notions of "defective perception or wits").
Meaning "having a whirling sensation" is from mid-14c.; that of "giddy" is from c.1500 and seems to merge the two earlier meanings. Used of the "foolish virgins" in early translations of Matthew xxv; used especially of blondes since 1870s. Related: Dizzily.
v.
Old English dysigan, from source of dizzy (adj.). Related: Dizzied; dizzying.
dean
n.
early 14c., from Old French deien (12c., Modern French doyen), from Late Latin decanus "head of a group of 10 monks in a monastery," from earlier secular meaning "commander of 10 soldiers" (which was extended to civil administrators in the late empire), from Greek dekanos, from deka "ten" (see ten). Replaced Old English teoðingealdor. College sense is from 1570s (in Latin from late 13c.).