Revised as of
30 Aug 2022
I came across amok in a story, and I thought it should have been amuck, so I looked. I was surprised to discover that while amuck has been around since the mid-1600s, it has been supplanted by amok, round about 2010.
Diehard editors prefer amuck while more flexible editors prefer amok. And I have to confess that I thought they were a pair of word confusions which differed very slightly in meaning from each other. That amok was intended as going violently crazy and that amuck was more of a bewildered crazy.
So, I’m wrong, and either word is perfectly applicable, as long as you’re not writing historical fiction. And whichever you choose, be consistent throughout your writing.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Amok | Amuck |
|---|---|
World Trade Center Collapsed Following the Sept. 11 Terrorist Attack, 16 September 2001, by Chief Photographer's Mate Eric J. Tilford is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Terrorists, the amok who ran amuck in America on 9/11. |
|
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective; Adverb; Noun
Plural for the noun: amok |
Alternative spelling for amok. |
| Adjective: Possessed with or motivated by a murderous or violently uncontrollable frenzy Adverb: Noun: |
|
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: She’s out there amongst those amok troops. The soldier was completely amuck. Adverb: Her feelings seemed to be running amok. The soldiers ran amok after one of their senior officers was killed. The two dogs ran amok in a school playground. When chaos and human nature ran amuck, the fat controller sorted everything out. He had the strength of several men, and he ran amuck with it. Noun: |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Since 2010, amok is the preferred spelling. | Mid-17th century, via the Portuguese amouco, which is from the Malay amok meaning rushing in a frenzy. Early use was as a noun denoting a Malay in a homicidal frenzy. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Amok versus Amuck
“Amok vs amuck.” The Grammarist. n.d. Web. 25 October 2019. <https://grammarist.com/spelling/amok-amuck/>.
Apple Dictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionary: amok, amuck
The Free Dictionary: amok
Merriam-Webster: amok
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Page 138, Giant Octopus Attacks Ship by Edgar Etherington is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and courtesy of J. Gibson’s Monsters of the Sea: Legendary and Authentic. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1887.
