impazzire

Impazzire is an Italian verb that primarily means to go mad or to lose one’s mind, indicating a sudden and drastic change in mental state or behavior. It can also express becoming extremely excited, overwhelmed, or infatuated. In everyday language it appears in a range of contexts from dramatic to casual, including idiomatic formations such as impazzire di gioia (to be overwhelmed with joy) or impazzire di rabbia (to be overwhelmed with anger).

Etymology and related terms: The verb derives from the adjective pazzo (crazy) and is formed with the -ire verb suffix. Related nouns include pazzia (madness) and pazzo (crazy). The term is deeply embedded in colloquial Italian and shares semantic space with expressions about losing one’s self-control.

Conjugation and usage notes: In the present tense, impazzire follows the -isc- pattern typical of many -ire verbs: io impazzisco, tu impazzisci, lui impazzisce, noi impazziamo, voi impazzite, loro impazziscono. The past participle is impazzito (masc.) or impazzita (fem.), and compound tenses use the auxiliary essere (sono impazzito, sei impazzito, etc.). The verb can also be used transitively in colloquial speech to convey causing someone else to be driven crazy, as in phrases built with other verbs (e.g., something can “impazzire” someone). In addition to the literal sense, impazzire appears in numerous idioms with di or per to describe intense feelings or preferences, such as impazzire di gioia or impazzire per qualcosa.

See also: pazzo, pazzia, impazzimento, perdere la testa.