mayhem

[mey-hem, mey-uh m]

See more synonyms for mayhem on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.
random or deliberate violence or damage.
a state of rowdy disorder: Antagonisms between the various factions at the meeting finally boiled over, and mayhem ensued.

Origin of mayhem

1350–1400; Middle English maheym, maim < Anglo-French mahe(i)m, mahaim < Germanic; akin to Middle High German meidem gelding, Old Norse meitha to injure. See maim

Can be confusedmaim mayhem (see synonym study at maim)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for mayhem

violence, commotion, havoc, pandemonium, fracas, anarchy, destruction, trouble, disorder

Examples from the Web for mayhem

Contemporary Examples of mayhem

Trevor Austin, CEO of Finna Rage, denied responsibility for the mayhem in Keene.
Frat Culture Clashes With Riot Police at Keene, N.H., Pumpkin Festival
Melanie Plenda
October 19, 2014
Ex-MMA fighter Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller live-tweeted a standoff with police over domestic violence charges.
The MMA Fighters Have Gone Crazy: ‘Mayhem’ Miller the Latest in a Long Line of Psycho Pugilists
Robert Silverman
October 10, 2014
Rwanda and Ethiopia, symbols in the past of death and mayhem, are now among the fastest-growing economies in the world.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)
Todd Moss
September 9, 2014
Of course there was mayhem there; the whole fight was delayed.
The Gonzo Artist: Behind Ralph Steadman’s Most Famous Work
Alex Suskind
April 27, 2014
Come with me through 117 pages of euphemisms, bureaucracy, and mayhem.
Up to a Point: I Do My Own Taxes With No Help, Except From a Couple of Bloody Marys
P. J. O’Rourke
April 15, 2014

Historical Examples of mayhem

It did not seem possible, Mayhem thought now, that a mistake could be made.
A Place in the Sun
C.H. Thames
Something, Mayhem decided, had come up during transmigration.
A Place in the Sun
C.H. Thames
Mayhem dabbed at his Sirian forehead gratefully, mopping at sweat.
Think Yourself to Death
C.H. Thames
Mayhem's answer was a question, but the question didn't really require an answer.
World Beyond Pluto
C. H. Thames
The whole galaxy, let alone the solar system, knew the Mayhem legend.
World Beyond Pluto
C. H. Thames

British Dictionary definitions for mayhem

mayhem

maihem

noun

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
any violent destruction or confusion

Word Origin for mayhem

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

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

Word Origin and History for mayhem

late 15c., from Anglo-French maihem (13c.), from Old French mahaigne "injury, wrong, a hurt, harm, damage;" related to mahaignier "to injure, wound, mutilate, cripple" (see maim). Originally, in law, the crime of maiming a person "to make him less able to defend himself or annoy his adversary" [OED].