"Berserk"

       This is a word that meets up with "delirious" (from yesterday) in a whirlpool of frenzy.

       "Berserk" is a fearsome word and goes back to Old Norse.  It derives from bjorn, "bear," and serkr, "shirt" or "coat."  "Berserkers" were ancient Scandinavian warriors who clothed themselves in the hides of bears and were "held to be invulnerable."  The American Heritage Dictionary notes that they became "frenzied in battle, howling like animals, foaming at the mouth, and biting the edges of their iron shields."

       Thanks, Old Norse, for bequeathing us a word we find, unfortunately, we still have need of.