English

madchild

From mad + child, by analogy to madman and madwoman.

A compound of mad + child

Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- ‘to change’

…

Proto-Germanic *maidijaną ‘to change’

Old English *mǣdan

Old English ġemǣdan

Middle English mad

English mad

Proto-Indo-European *ǵelt- ‘womb’

Proto-Germanic *kelþaz ‘womb’

Proto-West Germanic *kilþ

Old English ċild

Middle English child ‘a child’

English child

Today it means

noun A child who is insane.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / madchild