madder Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun Eurasian herb having small yellow flowers and red roots formerly an important source of the dye alizarin
    Rubia tinctorum.
  2. verb color a moderate to strong red
  3. adjective satellite roused to anger
    sore; huffy; mad.
    • stayed huffy a good while"- Mark Twain
    • she gets mad when you wake her up so early
    • mad at his friend
    • sore over a remark
  4. adjective satellite affected with madness or insanity
    crazy; unhinged; brainsick; demented; disturbed; mad; sick; unbalanced.
    • a man who had gone mad
  5. adjective satellite marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    unrestrained; mad; frantic; excited; delirious.
    • a crowd of delirious baseball fans
    • something frantic in their gaiety
    • a mad whirl of pleasure
  6. adjective satellite very foolish
    insane; mad; harebrained.
    • harebrained ideas
    • took insane risks behind the wheel
    • a completely mad scheme to build a bridge between two mountains

WordNet

Mad"der noun
Etymology
OE. mader, AS. mædere; akin to Icel. mara.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A plant of the Rubia (R. tinctorum). The root is much used in dyeing red, and formerly was used in medicine. It is cultivated in France and Holland. See Rubiaceous. ✍ Madder is sometimes used in forming pigments, as lakes, etc., which receive their names from their colors; as. madder yellow.

Webster 1913