Definition of Amok

Amok: A syndrome first reported in the Malay people, usually male, consisting of a period of brooding followed by a sudden outburst of indiscriminate murderous frenzy, sometimes provoked by an insult, jealousy or sense of desperation. The person who runs amok may also die in a form of murder-suicide. Spelled also amuck. The Malay word for "furious attack." Similar syndromes such as cafard in Polynesia and mal de pelea in Puerto Rico are known to occur in other peoples.