郁金香狂

Tulipomania \Tu`lip*o*ma"ni*a\, n. [Tulip + mania.]
A violent passion for the acquisition or cultivation of
tulips; -- a word said by Beckman to have been coined by
Menage.

Note: In Holland, in the first half of the 17th century, the
cultivation of tulips became a mania. It began about
the year 1634, and, like a violent epidemic, seized
upon all classes of the community, leading to disasters
and misery such as the records of commerce or of
bankruptcies can scarcely parallel. In 1636, tulip
marts had been established in Amsterdam, Rotterdam,
Haarlem, Leyden, and various other towns, where tulip
bulbs were sold and resold in the same manner as stocks
are on the Stock Exchange of London. --Baird.