energúmeno

hothead

noun eh-nehr-GOO-meh-noh Rare

Origin: Greek energoumenos (possessed by a spirit), via Latin.

Also means

fanatic

Usage Note

Energúmeno originally referred to a person possessed by an evil spirit, but in modern colloquial Spanish it describes someone who behaves wildly, furiously, or irrationally — a hothead or raving lunatic. It is almost always pejorative and informal. The feminine form is energúmena. Saying someone acted 'como un energúmeno' means they flew into a rage or acted with uncontrolled aggression.

Examples

"Entró en la tienda gritando como un energúmeno."

Natural Translation

He stormed into the shop shouting like a madman.

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