The term ecstasy was first introduced by John Wycliffe in a 1384 Bible translation. Originally spelled as exstasie, it went through various forms such as exstacye, extascie, estasie, exstasy, and extasy, before being standardized to its modern spelling in the eighteenth century. Wycliffe borrowed this term from the Latin word exstasis, which has the same meaning and originates from the Ancient Greek word ekstasis, literally translating to “displacement” (indicating that someone experiencing ecstasy is displaced from the present moment). Ekstasis is a combination of the prefix ek-, meaning “out” (derived from Proto-Indo-European eghs, also meaning “out”), and the root histanai, which can be interpreted as “to place” or “to stand”. This root ultimately stems from the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction steh, carrying the same connotations. The drug MDMA acquired the nickname ecstasy in the 1980s; it was also briefly referred to as Adam, though this name eventually fell out of use.
