Twitterpated
[TWIH-dər-pay-dəd]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: American English, 1940s
1.
Infatuated or obsessed.
2.
In a state of nervous excitement.
Examples of Twitterpated in a sentence
"Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime.' — Bambi (1942)"
"The family is all twitterpated as they pace around the waiting room for the announcement of the new baby."
About Twitterpated
This has nothing to do with hashtags or the latest viral tweet. Twitterpated is a relatively modern term for being nervously excited or even overwhelmed by a crush. "Twitter" is a 17th-century word for excitement and pate means head. In 1940s slang, being twitterpated means you're so excited you lose your head.
Did you Know?
Thank Walt Disney for this word. In the 1942 animated classic "Bambi," the wise owl explains to Thumper and Bambi the cause of all the excitement around them. Quite simply, when animals (and people) fall in love, they get all twitterpated.
