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by jeroenhd 22 days ago
In Dutch, where the term came from, manie has also been used to refer to obsessive behaviour for at least 700 years. In English, mania has also been used to refer to a frenzy for a long time. The term itself entered the Dutch language through French, not through Greek, where the non-literal use of the word had already got started.

The Greek word may have referred to a specific mental state, but the meaning has shifted over the thousands of years. The Greek word itself is derived from a Proto-Indo-European word for just thinking if Wiktionary is to be believed, cognate with an old-fashioned word for "remembering".