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First, I'm struggling with understanding the difference between demens and insanum.

My understanding is that demens is an adjective (insane). I've also seen insanum in a few online dictionaries (here's an example), but I'm not certain it's even a real word.

Second, I'm trying to find a single word (a noun) for insane person (if there is even such a thing), but I'm not sure whether it's insanis or insanus because they both, once again, appear to be adjectives.

P.S. Now that it's been pointed out to me that there is, in fact, no such word as inasnum (it's insanus), I would still like to know the difference between it and demens.

Joonas Ilmavirta
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mig81
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  • @brianpck I appreciate the edit but, as you can see in the crazy link I provide, it is spelled "inasnum," not "insanum" for whatever reason... :( – mig81 Nov 05 '20 at 04:20
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    Sorry for the sloppy edit. I can say pretty confidently that this is a typo for the very common word insanus. Why not use a more reputable site for a Latin dictionary? – brianpck Nov 05 '20 at 04:27
  • @brianpck No worries. :) What would you say is the most dependable dictionary out there? – mig81 Nov 05 '20 at 04:35
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    I edited the spelling again, @mig81. I don't know why that site hasn't corrected their own spelling, but it's better to have it spelled correctly here for people searching for similar questions. Also, a portion of us here will likely be driven insanus every time we see it spelled wrong. :) My edit was also somewhat sloppy, so if you wanted you could remove the bits related to the misspelled word. – Adam Nov 05 '20 at 14:03
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    For recommended dictionaries see the post regarding what are the best online latin dictionaries. – Adam Nov 05 '20 at 14:08
  • @Adam Thank you! :) – mig81 Nov 05 '20 at 23:37
  • @brianpck It's all good. So, two questions remain: What is the difference between demens and insanus and is there a noun for insane person? – mig81 Nov 05 '20 at 23:37
  • @vectory Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. Entschuldigung! ;) I am looking for a word in Latin similar to the Russian псих (n.), if it helps. (Having said this, it still seems to translate to insanis, which is still an adjective, not a noun...) – mig81 Nov 06 '20 at 00:54

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