Asiatic en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /eɪʒiˈætɪk/ most commonly
- /eɪziˈætɪk/
- (Southern-England) audio
- /eɪʃiˈætɪk/ more rarely
- /eɪsiˈætɪk/
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek Ἀσίᾱ (Asíā) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Hellenic *-tis Ancient Greek -τῐς (-tĭs) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τικός (-tikós) Ancient Greek Ἀσῐᾱτῐκός (Asĭātĭkós)der. Latin āsiāticuslbor. English Asiatic Learned borrowing from Latin āsiāticus; equivalent to Asia + -atic.
Meanings
- (dated) Asian, specifically, relating to the parts of Asia east of Egypt, i.e the Middle East or West Asia.
-
(slang) Eccentric or crazy as a result of spending a long time in the Far East.
This was a place that if you stayed there for any length of time, you went “Asiatic”. That was the expression for someone who went cuckoo. We had a long brutally boring patrol duty there, until we left for the island of Tarawa […]
2004, Sol Weisbrot, Looking Back On My Life, page 50:A soldier might grab his rifle and batter his way to the heart of some Jap position. Back home they gave him all sorts of medals but his companions dismissed him as the poor bastard who finally went Asiatic.
1951, James Albert Michener, The Voice of Asia, page 6:Enlisted men sometimes went Asiatic, or “rock happy,” after long service in the islands. This was common knowledge on the scuttlebutt network.
2006, Robert Hood, Mama's Boy, page 155:The note was good-humored and Willie swiftly decided not to take offense. “No thanks. I don’t want any medals for extraordinary heroism.” [¶] “Old man is really Asiatic, sir, ain’t he?” said Meatball, stepping into his trousers.
1951, Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny, page 305:“[…] This ship has been in the forward area since March ’42. It’s been through a lot of action. The men are all Asiatic. They probably think a fantail watch in Pearl Harbor is foolishness. […]”
1951, Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny, page 82:Now how the hell, we asked ourselves, does a guy this old get from a navy ammo dump to command of a battleship? Not just any battleship but the flagship of the Battle Force! Had the brass hats at the Bureau of Navigation gone Asiatic?
1982, Theodore C. Mason, Battleship Sailor, page 129:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most Asiatic | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more Asiatic | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Asiatic peafowl · Afroasiatic · Asiatically · Asiatic beetle · Asiaticism · Asiatic Vespers · Asiatic linsang · Asiatic pennywort · Asiaticness · Central Asiatic · Asiatic wildcat · Asiatic elephant · pro-Asiatic · Asiatic golden cat · Asiatic Sarmatia