North American urban slang term meaning either "lots of," or "very." I rather like this usage because it may refer to either a quantity or a quality, and in neither case needs a preposition to be correct. It's meaning has to be gleaned from context, but in casual conversation this is always easy. AFAIK, it is the only word in English that has the flexibility to both quantify and qualify.

To illustrate, both of these sentences are correct:

I can't come to the party, I have mad cars waiting at the shop.
I'm mad hungry, let's order a pizza.

And so forth.

Short for MPEG Audio Decoder, MAD is an MPEG audio decoder that has a reputation for excellent sound quality. MAD is fully compliant, having satisfied the ISO/IEC 11172-4 computational accuracy requirements for compliance and so qualifies (in most conditions) as a Full Layer III ISO/IEC 11172-3 audio decoder as defined by the standard. Currently supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2 Lower Sampling Frequencies extension and "MPEG 2.5". All three audio layers (Layer I, Layer II and Layer III) are fully implemented. MAD does not yet support MPEG-2 multichannel audio (though it should be backwardly compatible with those streams) or Advanced Audio Coding (AAC).

Some of MAD's features include:

  • 24-bit PCM output, which allows high quality audio
  • 100% fixed point (integer) computation, which makes it suited for environments without a floating point unit
  • brand new implementation based on the ISO/IEC standards
  • distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL)

    Based on inital listenings with this decoder, the sound quality appears to be very good although higher quality equipment would help as well as any listening tests.

MAD appears to be quite widely implemented, as the following list of programs containing MAD will show:

Source:
MAD homepage - http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/mpeg/

Mad (?), obs. p. p.

of Made.

Chaucer.

 

© Webster 1913.


Mad (?), a. [Compar. Madder (?); superl. Maddest (?).] [AS. gemd, gemad, mad; akin to OS. gemd foolish, OHG. gameit, Icel. meia to hurt, Goth. gamaids weak, broken. .]

1.

Disordered in intellect; crazy; insane.

I have heard my grandsire say full oft, Extremity of griefs would make men mad. Shak.

2.

Excited beyond self-control or the restraint of reason; inflamed by violent or uncontrollable desire, passion, or appetite; as, to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred; mad against political reform.

It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Jer. 1. 88.

And being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Acts xxvi. 11.

3.

Proceeding from, or indicating, madness; expressing distraction; prompted by infatuation, fury, or extreme rashness.

"Mad demeanor."

Milton.

Mad wars destroy in one year the works of many years of peace. Franklin.

The mad promise of Cleon was fulfilled. Jowett (Thucyd.).

4.

Extravagant; immoderate.

"Be mad and merry." Shak. "Fetching mad bounds." Shak.

5.

Furious with rage, terror, or disease; -- said of the lower animals; as, a mad bull; esp., having hydrophobia; rabid; as, a mad dog.

6.

Angry; out of patience; vexed; as, to get mad at a person.

[Colloq.]

7.

Having impaired polarity; -- applied to a compass needle.

[Colloq.]

Like mad, like a mad person; in a furious manner; as, to run like mad. L'Estrange. -- To run mad. (a) To become wild with excitement. (b) To run wildly about under the influence of hydrophobia; to become affected with hydrophobia. -- To run mad after, to pursue under the influence of infatuation or immoderate desire. "The world is running mad after farce." Dryden.

 

© Webster 1913.


Mad, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Madded; p. pr. & vb. n. Madding.]

To make mad or furious; to madden.

Had I but seen thy picture in this plight, It would have madded me. Shak.

 

© Webster 1913.


Mad, v. i.

To be mad; to go mad; to rave. See Madding.

[Archaic]

Chaucer.

Festus said with great voice, Paul thou maddest. Wyclif (Acts).

 

© Webster 1913.


Mad, n. [AS. maa; akin to D. & G. made, Goth. mapa, and prob. to E. moth.] Zool.

An earthworm.

[Written also made.]

 

© Webster 1913.

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