maelstrom

[ meyl-struhm ]

noun

1. a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
2. a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs:

   the maelstrom of early morning traffic.

   Synonyms: bedlam, pandemonium, tumult

3. (initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

maelstrom

¹

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a large powerful whirlpool
2. any turbulent confusion

Maelstrom

²

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

Word History and Origins

Origin of maelstrom¹

1550–60 maelstrom fordef 3; < early Dutch maelstroom, now spelling maalstroom, representing mal ( en ) to grind + stroom stream. See meal ², stream

Word History and Origins

Origin of maelstrom¹

C17: from obsolete Dutch maelstroom, from malen to grind, whirl round + stroom stream

Example Sentences

McKagan remembers Hollywood then as being a maelstrom of crime and drugs, with helicopters patrolling the area, gang wars and the crack epidemic.

From Los Angeles Times

Smith was the conductor at the centre of the maelstrom.

From BBC

And then, like the darkly swirling whirlpool they are, the inevitable maelstrom of hatred brews, and the Scorpio delivers their most important lesson of all: that lust and obsession, however intoxicating and world-altering, are light-years away from love.

From Los Angeles Times

In a Game 3 ringing with “Beat L.A.” chants and thick with an encore energy carried over from the Game 2 maelstrom, the Padres brought the intensity while the Dodgers surrendered it.

From Los Angeles Times

Looking back over the last millennium, old orders die and new ones arise when a cataclysm, marked by mass death or a maelstrom of destruction, coincides with some slower yet sweeping social transformation.

From Salon

Related Words

• chaos
• turbulence
• turmoil