Added 10 October 2026
mayhem
/ˈmeɪhɛm/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mayhem at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The willful and unlawful crippling or mutilation of another person.
- Violent and needless disturbance.
Origin
The noun is derived from Late Middle English mayehem, maihem, a late form of maym, maim (“disfigurement, injury, mutilation; disfigured person”) (whence modern English maim (noun)), from Anglo-Norman mahaim, mahainne (“mutilation”), and Old French mehaing, meshaing (“bodily harm, loss of limb”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)