Tulip-head referred to someone who was mad, according to the question #78117. What is the history of the term tulip/dulband/turban which gave it the connotation of madness?

zbeckabee

All I'm finding is: The English word turban is believed to have come from the Persian word dulband--a word which is also thought to be the etymological predecessor of "tulip" and of the Spanish word for hammerhead shark, torbandalo. http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/turbans/turbans.html Apr 01 07, 10:42 AM

worksafe

Interesting question, Webster 1913 dictionary defines Mania (a synonym of insanity) as 1. Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. Cf. Delirium. 2. Excessive or unreasonable desire; insane passion affecting one or many people; as, the tulip mania. During the 17th century, as result of great demand for tulip bulbs, a single bulb commanded an enormous price. The phase Tulip mania is often used to denote any large economic bubble resulting from price rises that are unjustified by the underlying fundamentals. It could conceivably follow that those who had been afflicted with this passion for tulips during that time period could have been called Tulip heads. As time past, the phase began take on the meaning of someone who has a mania or is insane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania http://www.answers.com/topic/tulipomania Apr 01 07, 1:09 PM