What's the Origin of the Phrase "Run Amok"?

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Today, the phrase “run amok” (also spelled “amuck”) is often used to describe such things as children making a mess while they run around and play. Classically, though, it more resembled the modern phrase “going postal” or someone who just snaps for various reasons and goes on a rampage.

One false etymology of run amok derives from sailors running a ship aground, literally running the ship into muck—but the English word most directly comes from the Malay amuck (also spelled amuk, and amuco), more or less meaning “attacking furiously” or “attacking with uncontrollable rage” or, more aptly, “homicidal mania.”

Some theorize this Malay word may have Indian origins or be from the name of a group of professional assassins in Malabar, called the Amuco. Others theorize that it came from the Malay word amar, meaning “fight,” specifically via Amar-khan, which was a certain type of warrior. Yet another theory is that the Malay amuck ultimately comes from the Sanskrit amokshya, meaning “that cannot be loosed.”





In Malay culture at the time, some believed the state of amok was caused by an evil spirit, hantu belia, entering the body of a person, who would then run amok, attacking and attempting to kill anyone they came across, only to recover later and return to normal (if they weren’t killed first). Because it was thought an evil spirit caused this behavior, punishments for someone who ran amok and survived were typically light or even non-existent, with the person sometimes getting off scot-free. Usually, though, the person would be killed while running amok, and some speculate this was generally the point: Those who exhibited the behavior were often those who suddenly experienced great trauma in their lives and were looking for a way out. Sadly, this kind of thing can still be seen today.


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August 29, 2013 - 9:30am
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