hectic
[hek-tik]
- characterized by intense agitation, excitement, confused and rapid movement, etc.: The week before the trip was hectic and exhausting.
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Origin of hectic
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
desperatelyexcitedlymadlywildlyuncontrollablyberserkcrazilyhelter-skelterwildagitatedlyamokfranticlyhecticallyhystericallyExamples from the Web for hectically
Historical Examples
Eyes that met when commands were given and received were dull from want of sleep or hectically bright as a hypochondriac's.
The Last ShotFrederick Palmer
hectic
- characterized by extreme activity or excitement
- associated with, peculiar to, or symptomatic of tuberculosis (esp in the phrases hectic fever, hectic flush)
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- a hectic fever or flush
- rare a person who is consumptive or who experiences a hectic fever or flush
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Word Origin
C14: from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos habitual, from hexis state, from ekhein to have
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for hectically
hectic
adj.
late 14c., etik (in fever etik), from Old French etique "consumptive," from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos "continuous, habitual, consumptive" (of a disease, because of the constant fever), from hexis "a habit (of mind or body)," from ekhein "have, hold, continue" (see scheme).
The Latin -h- was restored in English 16c. Sense of "feverishly exciting, full of disorganized activity" first recorded 1904, but hectic also was used in Middle English as a noun meaning "feverish desire, consuming passion" (early 15c.). Hectic fevers are characterized by rapid pulse, among other symptoms. Related: Hecticness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper