Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite
2

I have checked many online dictionaries - they all agree that one of the meanings of "unhinged" is "disturbed" or "unbalanced" but none give a good explanation as to how this meaning came into being.

Any ideas?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Going by the OED, the modern use of unhinged to mean “psychologically disturbed” is a specialisation of a more general and slightly earlier use meaning (in the OED’s words) thrown into confusion; unsettled, disordered:

I might by my loose and unhing’d Circumstances be the fitter to embrace a Proposal for Trade.
        — 1719, Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe.

(Of course, this more general sense is still sometimes used, although the mental sense is certainly now dominant.)

This in turn comes from the fairly transparent metaphor of a door that has slipped its hinges, which appears rather earlier:

The wisest and best Poets doe loue sometimes to play the foole, and to leape out of the hindges.
        — ?1608, Of Wisdome i. xiv. 62, S. Lennard, trans. P. Charron

share|improve this answer
+1 for source and example of the relevant metaphor. – simchona♦ Aug 22 '11 at 1:48
I'm happy with the answer (+1) but I don't think the meaning is as "transparent" as you think. The word is well known but, without fore knowledge and context, one could guess "unhinged" to mean "unconstrained" instead. – dave Aug 22 '11 at 18:25
up vote 0 down vote

A person in a normal state would be "hinged," or "put together."

So "unhinged" would imply the opposite, of being "undone."

share|improve this answer
I've never heard either of those terms used as an opposite to "unhinged" in this context. I'd like to see an example of how you'd use "hinged" in a sentence this way. Also, isn't this an etymology question? – Wesley Murch Aug 22 '11 at 17:19
@Wesley: If a door is "hinged," it's likely to stay in place. If it is "unhinged," it is likely to come apart (from the doorway). The "etymology" of this to people would be the metaphor. – Tom Au Aug 22 '11 at 20:22
What I meant is that I can't think of an example where you'd use "hinged" in reference to a person. – Wesley Murch Aug 25 '11 at 15:48

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.