delirium
noun /dɪˈlɪriəm/, /dɪˈlɪəriəm/
/dɪˈlɪriəm/
[uncountable]- a mental state where somebody becomes excited and not able to think or speak clearly, usually because of illness
- fits of delirium
- He mumbled in delirium all night.
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin, from delirare ‘deviate, be deranged’ (literally ‘deviate from the furrow’), from de- ‘away’ + lira ‘ridge between furrows’.