mayhem

[ mey-hem, mey-uhm ]

noun

1. Law. the crime of willfully inflicting a bodily injury on another so as to make the victim less capable of self-defense or, under modern statutes, so as to cripple or mutilate the victim.
2. random or deliberate violence or damage.
3. a state of rowdy disorder:

   Antagonisms between the various factions at the meeting finally boiled over, and mayhem ensued.

mayhem

/ ˈmeɪhɛm /

noun

1. law the wilful and unlawful infliction of injury upon a person, esp (formerly) the injuring or removing of a limb rendering him less capable of defending himself against attack
2. any violent destruction or confusion

Word History and Origins

Origin of mayhem¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English maheym, maim, from Anglo-French mahe(i)m, mahaim, from Germanic; akin to Middle High German meidem “gelding,” Old Norse meitha “to injure”; maim

Word History and Origins

Origin of mayhem¹

C15: from Anglo-French mahem injury, from Germanic; related to Icelandic meitha to hurt. See maim

Example Sentences

Some are ideological die-hards yearning for Christian nationalism, but others just wanted the thrill of identifying with a shock jock, sowing mayhem, and putting a Black woman in power back in her place.

From Slate

Mayor Karen Bass characterized the incidents of mayhem following the game as “few” and said she expected the perpetrators to be held accountable.

From Los Angeles Times

“Right now I don’t feel anything,” he said with a smile from the corner of the Dodgers clubhouse, protecting his injured right foot from the celebratory mayhem around him.

From Los Angeles Times

The correspondents of NBC’s “Dateline” got a rock star-worthy welcome when they took to the stage in a packed ballroom at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel last month, and the attendees of CrimeCon, an annual convention for fans of real-life stories of murder and mayhem, were happy to explain why.

From Los Angeles Times

The mayhem, which escalated for three hours, led UC President Michael V. Drake to launch an investigation into the university’s actions and the slow response by law enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anarchy
• commotion
• destruction
• fracas
• havoc
• pandemonium
• violence