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

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

For 12 years, 1803 to 1815, those wars proved to be a Black Death-style maelstrom that roiled Europe, leaving six million dead in their wake and reaching India, Southeast Asia and the Americas.

From Salon

Quite how the kid could go from no serious football in an age to having an influence in the maelstrom of a desperate Hampden was remarkable.

From BBC

Related Words

• chaos
• turbulence
• turmoil