Tom o' Bedlam English

Meaning Tom o' Bedlam meaning

What does Tom o' Bedlam mean?

Tom o' Bedlam noun

— (historical) A wandering mendicant discharged as incurable from Bethlehem Hospital, England.

— (archaic) Any wandering mendicant, either mad or pretending to be so.

— (archaic) A madman; a bedlamite.