# Caligulism

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Madness, especially when of an extravagant or sadistic nature.

## Etymology
From Caligula + -ism. The coining of this term is often attributed to Horace Walpole, who used it to describe Frederick, Prince of Wales, in a letter written on November 29, 1745, but in fact, the use of the term predates Walpole.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caligulism