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

The next time Doak got it was the marvellous moment of mayhem that saw Scotland score.

From BBC

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 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

Russia's intelligence agency has been on a mission to generate "sustained mayhem on British and European streets", the head of MI5 has said.

From BBC

Related Words

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