maniaque

Maniaque is a French term used as a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it denotes a person who is excessively preoccupied with a particular interest or activity, often to the point of obsession. As an adjective, it describes behavior or attitudes marked by intense, sometimes compulsive enthusiasm or fixation, with possible pejorative connotations or, in neutral usage, a descriptive one. The word derives from the Greek mania through French, traditionally linked to madness or excessive zeal.

Historically in medicine, maniaque referred to a person experiencing mania, a mood state of elevated or irritable mood and heightened energy. In contemporary psychiatry the clinical term is manic episode, found within bipolar and other mood disorders; the label maniaque is considered outdated or stigmatizing in clinical contexts.

In everyday language, maniaque commonly appears in idioms such as "maniaque du rangement" or "maniaque de la propreté" to describe someone with an obsessive or highly meticulous tendency, without implying a medical diagnosis.

In culture, the term is used in journalism and fiction to convey intensity, passion, or unpredictability, again without clinical implication.

See also: mania, manic episode, obsessive-compulsive tendencies.