English word origin

Etymology of amok

Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

adv

Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous. · In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionamoucopt
Derivation mentionamukms

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "amouco"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Portuguese amouco"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "amuk",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to go on a killing spree"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "jv",
        "3": "kaw"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "amouco",
      "amouco#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "amuk",
      "amuk#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "kill",
      "kill"
    ],
    [
      "spree",
      "spree"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Cebuano",
      "lang_code": "ceb",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "lang_code": "he",
      "word": "אמוק",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ámok"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "lang_code": "no",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Cyrillic script",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "амок"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Latin script",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "amok"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "word": "amok",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.",
        "In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "5b8714c485640c3ff9af9245b70c8c2e1df72ec2c87bd0ad5dfe279a10fa09be",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc1a00b666d81a8cec65fcc82760725499924722b8300c5676a1e90409878155",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268528
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves. · The act of running amok.

verb

Synonym of run amok.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionamoucopt
Derivation mentionamukms

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "amouco"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Portuguese amouco"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "amuk",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to go on a killing spree"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "jv",
        "3": "kaw"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "amouco",
      "amouco#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "amuk",
      "amuk#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "kill",
      "kill"
    ],
    [
      "spree",
      "spree"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.",
        "The act of running amok."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "47a7a65a1c64fe6846daf4e460800d4cc9e3e0de4cd1ea6bf0714ea75e6ad44a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8ac868be28b7afc1c3f0d744b630d0d569e1ec0f310e653b0caf596c17b1dcb4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268529
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of run amok."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "dd85dbbb1c31449a6ccb2f87d35376c8f9e66fe60a52270bab00e067b4cb84a1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eb0f41c258db10815334d0d3940963de48958f61bb29b38e8002736e39d17205",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268530
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A kind of Southeast Asian curry steamed in banana leaves native to Cambodia.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Khmer អាម៉ុក (ʼaamok, “to steam in banana leaves”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "km:អាម៉ុក<t:to steam in banana leaves>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"to steam in banana leaves\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Khmer\", \"term\" : \"អាម៉ុក\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"km\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"amok\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"amok\">\nBorrowed from Khmer អាម៉ុក (ʼaamok, “to steam in banana leaves”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "km:អាម៉ុក<t:to steam in banana leaves>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Khmer អាម៉ុក (ʼaamok, “to steam in banana leaves”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "អាម៉ុក",
      "អាម៉ុក#Khmer"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A kind of Southeast Asian curry steamed in banana leaves native to Cambodia."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "f2e0abb760db2364db201c25c6029fae9756d6a44090e0b1ad8e9c84a5a3bec4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "28a3b971538f36a035596907e31385cdba8dd9679df9afe733dfa6b12d69e361",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 268531
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for amok →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YW1vaw