<B>mad, </B>adjective, <B>madder,</B> <B>maddest,</B> verb, <B>madded,</B> madding, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>out of one's mind; crazy; insane. <BR> <I>Ex. A man must be mad to cut himself on purpose.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) very angry; furious. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother was mad at me for coming home late for dinner. The insult made him mad.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>much excited; wild. <BR> <I>Ex. The dog made mad efforts to catch up with the automobile.</I> (SYN) frenzied, frantic. <DD><B> 4. </B>foolish; unwise. <BR> <I>Ex. a mad undertaking. ... the same trash mad mortals wish for here (Alexander Pope). The maddest voyage, and the most unlikely to be performed, that ever was undertaken (Daniel Defoe).</I> (SYN) rash. <DD><B> 5a. </B>blindly and unreasonably fond. <BR> <I>Ex. mad about skiing. Some girls are mad about going to dances.</I> (SYN) infatuated. <DD><B> b. </B>wildly gay or merry. <BR> <I>Ex. Tomorrow will be the maddest, merriest day of the year.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>having rabies. A mad dog often foams at the mouth and may bite people. <DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> (Archaic.) to be or become mad; madden. <BR> <I>Ex. At the same time it madded some of the Republicans (Marietta Holley).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>anger; rage. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang.) a fit of bad temper; sullen mood. <BR> <I>Ex. to have a mad on.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>like mad,</B> </I>(Informal.) furiously; very hard or fast. <BR> <I>Ex. I ran like mad to catch the train.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>mad as a hatter.</B> </I>See under <B>hatter.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>mad as a March hare.</B> </I>See under <B>hare.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mad">
<B>Mad.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> madam. </DL>
<A NAME="mad">
<B>MAD, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> mutual assured destruction. <BR> <I>Ex. Called MAD ... the doctrine holds that peace is best maintained by threatening to obliterate an entire enemy society in retaliation for a nuclear attack (Time).</I> </DL>
<B>Madagascar jasmine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a tropical twining shrub of Madagascar and neighboring areas, with thick, dark-green leaves and fragrant, waxy flowers, often cultivated in hothouses; stephanotis </DL>
<A NAME="madake">
<B>madake, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a long-jointed bamboo of Japan. </DL>
<A NAME="madam">
<B>madam, </B>noun, pl. <B>madams</B> or <B>mesdames,</B> verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a polite title used in speaking to a woman or of a woman. <BR> <I>Ex. Madam, will you take my seat?</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a woman who runs a brothel. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to address as "madam". <BR> <I>Ex. ... the sparring scene between her and Mrs. Chatterley, wherein they "Madam" each other with genteel petulance (Examiner).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madame">
<B>madame, </B>noun, pl. <B>mesdames.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a French title for a married woman; Mrs. <DD><B> 2. </B>a title often used by women singers, artists, or performers. (Abbr:) Mme. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=madam </B>(def. 2). </DL>
<A NAME="madapollam">
<B>madapollam, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a soft cotton cloth intermediate in quality between calico and muslin. </DL>
<A NAME="madar">
<B>madar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>either of two tropical Asian or African shrubs of the milkweed family whose juice and root bark yield a drug. <DD><B> 2. </B>a latex obtained from this shrub, used as a substitute for gutta-percha. <DD><B> 3. </B>a fine silky fiber obtained from the madar. Also, <B>mudar.</B> </DL>
<B>madcap, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person who goes ahead and carries out wild ideas without stopping to think first; very impulsive person. <DD><I>adj. </I> wild; hasty; impulsive. <BR> <I>Ex. Their going along was nothing more than a madcap frolic (Herman Melville).</I> (SYN) reckless, precipitate. </DL>
<A NAME="madd">
<B>MADD, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> Mothers Against Drunk Driving. </DL>
<A NAME="madden">
<B>madden, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make very angry or excited; irritate greatly. <BR> <I>Ex. The crowd was maddened by the umpire's decision.</I> (SYN) enrage, infuriate. <DD><B> 2. </B>to make crazy. <BR> <I>Ex. The shipwrecked sailors were nearly maddened by cold and hunger when the rescuers found them.</I> (SYN) derange. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to become crazy; act crazy. <BR> <I>Ex. All Bedlam, or Parnassus, is let out ... They rave, recite, and madden round the land (Alexander Pope).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maddening">
<B>maddening, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>very annoying; irritating. <BR> <I>Ex. maddening delays.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>raging; furious. <BR> <I>Ex. All the people rushed along with maddening eagerness to the anticipated solace (Thomas De Quincey).</I> adv. <B>maddeningly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="madder">
<B>madder, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a European and Asian vine with prickly leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers. <DD><B> 2. </B>its red root, used for making dyes. <DD><B> 3. </B>a red dye made from these roots. <DD><B> 4. </B>red; crimson. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to treat or dye with madder. </DL>
<A NAME="madderfamily">
<B>madder family,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of dicotyledonous, chiefly tropical trees, shrubs, or herbs closely related to the honeysuckle family. The family includes the madder, cinchona, coffee, gardenia, bedstraw, and partridgeberry. </DL>
<A NAME="madding">
<B>madding, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>mad; acting as if mad. <BR> <I>Ex. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife (Thomas Gray).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>making mad; maddening. <BR> <I>Ex. the distraction of this madding fever (Shakespeare).</I> </DL>
<B>made, </B>verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>verb </I> past tense and past participle of <B>make.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. The cook made the cake. It was made of flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>built; constructed; formed. <BR> <I>Ex. a strongly made swing.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>specially prepared. <BR> <I>Ex. made gravy, a made dish.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>artificially produced. <BR> <I>Ex. made land.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>invented; made-up. <BR> <I>Ex. a made word.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>certain of success; successful. <BR> <I>Ex. a made man.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>have</B> (<B>got</B>) <B>it made,</B> </I>(U.S. Informal.) to be assured of success. <BR> <I>Ex. "The Odd Couple" [a play] has it made (New York Times). Most Western Republicans think that ... their boy Barry's got it made (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madeira">
<B>Madeira</B> or <B>madeira, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of fortified wine made on the island of Madeira, ranging from quite pale and dry to brownish and sweet. </DL>
<A NAME="madeiravine">
<B>Madeira vine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a basellaceous climbing plant of tropical America, with bright-green leaves and long clusters of small, fragrant, white flowers. </DL>
<A NAME="madeleine">
<B>madeleine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small, sweet cake resembling a pound cake and usually spread with jam, icing, nuts, or fruits. </DL>
<A NAME="mademoiselle">
<B>mademoiselle, </B>noun, pl. <B>mesdemoiselles.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the French title for an unmarried woman; Miss. <DD><B> 2. </B>a French governess. (Abbr:) Mlle. </DL>
<A NAME="madetomeasure">
<B>made-to-measure, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> made according to the buyer's measurements. <BR> <I>Ex. a made-to-measure suit.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madetoorder">
<B>made-to-order, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> made according to the buyer's wishes. <BR> <I>Ex. made-to-order clothing.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madeup">
<B>made-up, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>not real; imaginary; invented. <BR> <I>Ex. a made-up story.</I> (SYN) fabricated, untrue. <DD><B> 2. </B>having on rouge, powder, or other cosmetics. <BR> <I>Ex. made-up lips.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>put together. <BR> <I>Ex. The made-up sandwiches were stacked to be ready for lunch customers.</I> (SYN) constructed. <DD><B> 4. </B>resolved; decided. <BR> <I>Ex. a made-up mind.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madework">
<B>made-work, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> devised to make jobs, sometimes unimportant or unnecessary, especially in public works originated during periods of economic distress. <BR> <I>Ex. a made-work project.</I> </DL>
<B>madhouse, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an asylum for insane people. <DD><B> 2. </B>a place of uproar and confusion. <BR> <I>Ex. The arena was a madhouse after the home team won the championship game.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madisonavenue">
<B>Madison Avenue,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a street in New York City, the chief advertising center of the United States. <DD><B> 2. </B>the advertising industry of the United States. </DL>
<A NAME="madisonian">
<B>Madisonian, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with James Madison (1751-1836), fourth president of the United States. <BR> <I>Ex. ... our attempt to combine the Madisonian system of checks and balances with the Jeffersonian concept of majority rule under parties (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<B>madman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an insane man; person who is crazy. <BR> <I>Ex. The explosion was probably the act of a madman.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who behaves madly; wildly foolish person. <BR> <I>Ex. I have been a madman and a fool (David Bethune).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madmoney">
<B>mad money,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>money carried by a girl or woman to use for small expenses. <DD><B> 2. </B>money carried by a girl or woman so that she is not dependent on an escort for transportation home, in the event of a quarrel or other cause for leaving him. </DL>
