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bedlam

[ bed-luhm ]
/ ˈbɛd ləm /
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noun
a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
Archaic. an insane asylum or madhouse.
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Origin of bedlam

A popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, which served as a lunatic asylum from circa 1400; compare Middle English Bedleem, Bethleem,Old English BetleemBethlehem
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bedlam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bedlam

bedlam
/ (ˈbɛdləm) /

noun
a noisy confused place or situation; state of uproarhis speech caused bedlam
archaic a lunatic asylum; madhouse

Word Origin for bedlam

C13 bedlem, bethlem, after the Hospital of St Mary of Bethlehem in London
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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