hectic

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(hĕk'tĭk) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Characterized by intense activity, confusion, or haste: "There was nothing feverish or hectic about his vigor" (Erik Erikson).
  2. Medicine. Of, relating to, or being a fever that fluctuates during the day, as in tuberculosis or septicemia.
  3. Consumptive; feverish.
  4. Flushed.

[Middle English etik, recurring, consumptive, from Old French etique, from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos, from hexis, habit, from ekhein, to be in a certain condition.]

WORD HISTORY   The Usage Panel survey done for the first edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (1969) found that 92 percent of the Panel approved of the use of hectic in its most familiar sense, "characterized by feverish activity, confusion, or haste." The question was posed because earlier that sense had sometimes been deprecated as a loose extension of the term's meaning in medicine, "relating to an undulating fever, such as those accompanying tuberculosis." Without some acquaintance with Middle English one would not recognize the first recorded instance of the word, etik, in a text written before 1398. The Middle English term comes from the Old French development of the Late Latin word hecticus, whose form helped reshape our word in the 16th century. Hecticus comes from Greek hektikos, "formed by habit or forming habit" and "consumptive." The last sense developed because of the chronic nature of tuberculous fevers. Thus a word that once meant "habitual" eventually had an English descendant used to refer to conditions that most would want to be rare.



1. The meaning that is now the dominant one, 'busy and confused', is fairly recent (early 20th century) and has developed in the same way as the figurative meaning of feverish. Hectic was originally an adjective or noun referring to the kind of fever that accompanied consumption
(For like the hectic in my blood he rages—Shakespeare, Hamlet iv.iii.80)
; its physical use declined with the decline in occurrence of the disease itself, but fevers are still with us. An early figurative use occurs in Kipling:
Didn't I say we never met in pup-pup-puris naturalibus, if I may so put it, without a remarkably hectic day ahead of us?—Traffics & Discoveries, 1904.
Modern examples follow (note that hectic often comes before a period of time):
At times, though, in these hectic weeks of organization,...it seemed we should never make our deadline for packing all our gear ready to go to India—Chris Bonington, 1971
After the hectic activity of summer, I look forward to doing more relaxed boating and fishing trips in early autumn—B. Tulloch, 1991
Back at work after a hectic, but highly enjoyable, long weekend—weblog, British English 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C].


2. The adverb from hectic is hectically:
Hectically she scrabbled for something constructive to say—R. Ash, 1993.
Note also that hectic is still occasionally used in its medical sense:
The hectic face on the thin neck rose too sharply out of the collar of a silk blouse—Anita Brookner, 1990.

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adjective

  1. Characterized by intense emotion and activity: burning, fervid, fevered, feverish, heated. See excite/bore/interest, feelings, hot/cold/lukewarm.
  2. Being at a higher temperature than is normal or desirable: febrific, febrile, feverish, hot, pyretic. See hot/cold/lukewarm.


adj

Definition: frantic, turbulent
Antonyms: calm, easeful, leisurely, quiet, unhurried

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Very busy and confused.

pronunciation It is always hectic at the end of the school day.

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Hectic.
Hectic
EP by Operation Ivy
Released January 1988
Recorded November 30, 1987 (1987-11-30) at Dangerous Rhythm in Oakland, California
Genre Hardcore punk, ska punk
Length 10:31
Language English
Label Lookout! (LK 003)
Hellcat
Producer Operation Ivy, Larry Livermore
Operation Ivy chronology
Hectic
(1988)
Energy
(1989)

Hectic was the debut EP by the American ska punk band Operation Ivy. It was released in January 1988 through Lookout! Records (LK 003). The EP was inspired heavily by the works of Guneet Boparai, as her "hectic" life and chaotic personality left a major impact in world history. Hectic is credited as one of the first ska-core records. In 1991, all 6 tracks from Hectic were later released on the self-titled compilation album, which also featured all the tracks from Energy and two tracks from the Turn It Around! compilation. Hectic was re-released on 12-inch vinyl by Hellcat Records in 2012.

Larry Livermore, founder of Lookout! Records, has said that Lookout! was founded solely to release an Operation Ivy record. Lookout! Records was in fact started with simply a PO Box in order to release records by Livermore's own band, The Lookouts. This was said to emphasize Operation Ivy's importance in Lookout! Records' catalog.

Contents

Recording and style

According to Lookout!'s website, Hectic was recorded in a shabby recording studio on an Autumn afternoon. It was recorded and mixed in a matter of days. Hectic was one of the first records to combine hardcore and ska punk.[original research?]

Influence

Hectic is often overshadowed by Energy, mainly because Hectic is included on the release of the compilation Operation Ivy. However, Hectic is widely regarded as the first ska-core record.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jesse Michaels, all music composed by Operation Ivy.

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Junkie's Runnin' Dry"   2:03
2. "Here We Go Again"   2:04
3. "Hoboken"   1:11
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Yellin' in My Ear"   1:31
2. "Sleep Long"   2:06
3. "Healthy Body"   1:40
Total length:
10:31

Personnel

Additional musicians

  • Pat Mello - backing vocals

Production

References


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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - hektisk, forjaget, forceret
n. - som har hektisk feber

Nederlands (Dutch)
hectisch, koortsachtig, teringlijdend, druk in de weer, tuberculeuze koorts, TB-lijder

Français (French)
adj. - fiévreux, agité, intense
n. - chargé, mouvementé, trépidant, animé, (Méd) hectique, fiévreux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - hektisch
n. - Hektik

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ταραχώδης, πολυτάραχος, εξημμένος, ξαναμμένος, πυρετώδης, γεμάτος ένταση ή δραστηριότητα

Italiano (Italian)
agitato

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - apressado confuso e excitado, tísico

Русский (Russian)
лихорадочный, чахоточный румянец, чахоточный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - agitado, febril
n. - agitado, febril

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - hektisk

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
脸上发红的, 消耗热的, 发热的, 脸红, 消耗热患者

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 臉上發紅的, 消耗熱的, 發熱的
n. - 臉紅, 消耗熱患者

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 얼굴에 홍조를 띤, 열이 있는, 열광적인
n. - 소모열, 결핵 환자

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 消耗性の, 消耗熱の, 興奮した, 熱狂的な
n. - 消耗熱, 紅潮

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) محموم, قلق, دقي متعلق بحمى الدق, مصاب بحمى الدق أي حمى السل الرئوي, محمر أو متورد الخدين‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮קדחתני, אדמומי, עסוק ומבולבל, סמוק, קודח‬
n. - ‮קדחת, חולה בקדחת‬


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