mayhem
[ mey-hem, mey-uhm ]
/ ˈmeɪ hɛm, ˈmeɪ əm /
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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.
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Origin of mayhem
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”; see maim
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mayhem
maim, mayhemWords nearby mayhem
Mayflower compact, mayfly, mayhap, mayhappen, May-Hegglin anomaly, mayhem, Mayhew, Maying, Maynard, mayn't, mayo
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mayhem
British Dictionary definitions for mayhem
mayhem
maihem
/ (ˈmeɪhɛm) /
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
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