The other day I was talking to an old friend who shares my interest in word roots. I wondered aloud if we could think of the word “deluded”, which has its origins in the Latin verb ludere meaning “to play,” as meaning “having the playfulness taken out of us.” In other words, is the core meaning of “deluded” that we are in a confused and self-deceptive state when we have lost our sense of playfulness — we are taking ourselves (or “things”) too seriously.