mayhem en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmeɪhɛm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈmeɪˌ(h)ɛm/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- [ˈmeɪ̯ˌhɪ̟m] (pin-pen-merger)
- audio -
Etymology
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”). The verb is partly: * from Late Middle English mahaym, maheyme, a late form of maimen, maymen (“to injure seriously, mutilate, maim; to damage; to destroy; to afflict with disease; to dispossess”) (whence modern English maim (verb)), from Anglo-Norman mahaigner, mahimer, Middle French mehaignier, and Old French mehaingner, meshaignier (“to destroy; to harm; to injure, maim”); and * from the modern English noun. The etymology of the Old French words is uncertain; they are possibly from Proto-Germanic *maidijaną (“to damage; to hurt; to change; to exchange”) (compare Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maidjan, “to alter, falsify”); Middle High German meidem, meiden (“gelding”); Old Norse meiða (“to injure”)), from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change; to exchange; etc.”), possibly from *mey- (“to change; to exchange”). If so, the English word is a doublet of mad.
Meanings
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(UK, historical, qualifier:criminal law, uncountable, usually) The criminal offence of maiming (“seriously wounding”) a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; (countable) an instance of this.
A man's limbs, (by vvhich for the preſent vve only underſtand thoſe members vvhich may be uſeful to him in fight, and the loſs of vvhich only amounts to mayhem by the common lavv) are alſo the gift of the vviſe creator; to enable man to protect himſelf from external injuries in a ſtate of nature. […] [W]hatever is done by a man, to ſave either life or member, is looked upon as done upon the higheſt neceſſity and compulſion. Therefore if a man through fear of death or mayhem is prevailed upon to execute a deed, or do any other legal act; theſe, though accompanied vvith all other the requiſite ſolemnities, are totally void in lavv, […]
1765, William Blackstone, “Of the Absolute Rights of Individuals”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book I (Of the Rights of Persons), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 126:to commit mayhem
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(US, broadly, qualifier:criminal law, uncountable, usually) The criminal offence of maiming a person by depriving them of the use of any of their limbs.
There is a story told of a case where a notorious character was charged with the unusual crime of "mayhem"—biting off another man's finger. The defendant's counsel secured adjournment after adjournment—no one knew why. […] He [the defendant] had not a tooth in his head. The delay had been advantageously employed.
1906, Arthur [Cheney] Train, “Tricks of the Trade”, in The Prisoner at the Bar: Sidelights on the Administration of Criminal Justice, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 316:
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(figuratively, uncountable, usually) Often preceded by to cause or make: great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; chaos, turmoil; (countable) an instance of this.
On Friday, amid increased traffic from the Outside Lands music festival, a number of self-driving cards seemed to glitch. One TikTok user recorded a Cruise vehicle causing "mayhem" outside of the festival where it was stuck at an angle in the middle of the street.
2023 August 14, Kari Paul, “Robotaxi breakdowns cause mayhem in San Francisco days after expansion vote”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Sep 2025:We terrified the mare and foal. / The fox stood still and far too bold. / So we strung him up, brush neatly folded— / Mayhem, maybe.
1981 (date recorded), Ian Anderson, “Mayhem, Maybe”, in 20 Years of Jethro Tull [Disc 2: Flawed Gems and Other Sides of Tull], performed by Jethro Tull, New York, N.Y.: Chrysalis Records, published 21 June 1988, →OCLC:[…] I heard a loud crashing noise, like a big tray of dinner plates hitting the floor. Then shouts of "get down" and "shots fired," as the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner descended into mayhem.
2026 April 26, Linda Feldmann, “After the gunfire: Moments of grace at White House correspondents’ dinner”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2026:Andrew and Fiona Eyre, both 52, from Sheffield, had been looking forward to their trip to Paris since booking it in September, but their train was also cancelled. "It was absolute mayhem and the lack of communication was just disgusting," Andrew said.
2023 December 31, Matthew Weaver, “‘Absolute mayhem’: Eurostar passengers tell of stress and tears”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2025:In all the mayhem, some children were separated from their parents.
Yes, I can understand how people were shocked and outraged by the verdict in the Rodney King trial. But, my friends, there is simply no excuse for the mayhem that followed.
1992 May 19 (date delivered), Dan Quayle, “[Appendix: Selected Speeches] Address to the Commonwealth Club of California, May 19, 1992 (on Family Values)”, in Standing Firm: A Vice-Presidential Memoir, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins Publishers, published 1994, →ISBN, page 381:What if the legendary hero Robin Hood had been born into the mayhem of the 20th century?
In the 1870's, a young newspaper editor named Henry George walked the streets of San Francisco lamenting the paradoxical economic mayhem that lay all around him.
1981 May 27, William G. Tucker, “George, Keynes, Reagan, rabbit and hat”, in The New York Times (A section), New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2024, page A27:Jack lifted the binoculars to his eyes, and it was difficult not to laugh at the utter mayhem. Faeries ripped plumes from helmets; soldiers found their pistols dangled just out of reach.
2014, Emma Trevayne, “Lorcan, Banished”, in Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, →ISBN, page 262:
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(figuratively, uncountable, usually) Violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury on a person or thing.
"Tell me," I said, "when one surrenders his personal feelings to his professional feelings, may not the action be defined as a sort of spiritual mayhem?"
1908 February 19, Jack London, “Slaves of the Machine”, in The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 63:This same man, after failing through intimidation to elicit from me the names of our editorial contributors, against giving which he knew me to be pledged, beat himself weary upon me with a raw hide, I not resisting, and then pantingly threatened me with permanent disfiguring mayhem, if ever again I should introduce his name into print, […]
1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “”, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 581:The fighting dogs created mayhem in the flower beds.
Well, it's a funny thing, but I can't get rid of the impression that at some point in my researches into the night life of London yestreen I fell upon some person to whom I had never been introduced and committed mayhem upon his person.
1916 September 16 – November 11, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter IV, in Piccadilly Jim, 1st British edition, London: Herbert Jenkins […], published May 1918, →OCLC, page 70:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| maihem | alternative | lexicographic | |
| mayhems | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Bayhem · mayhemic · Mayhem Parva
Relateds
Synonyms
muddle · hobbleshaw · mash · bunfight · snarl · ruckus · shemozzle · disarray · flutter · imbroglio · shambles · clamour · bangarang · misorder · unrest · uproar · muss · dog's dinner · hoo-ha · mayhem · rumpus · mullock · disorder · hubbub · car crash · bobbery · confusion · trouble · tomfoolery · hurly-burly · commotion · foofaraw · disruption · ado · to-do · kerfuffle · splatterdash · fuss · maze · shindy · clatter · flap · chaos · disturbance · bustle · tumult · argy-bargy · free-for-all · fuddle · hoo-hah · stir · shemozzle · upfuckery · mommick · pandemonium · hot mess · fracas · bedlam · tangle · hash · topsy-turviness · palaver · quarrel · disorganization · brouhaha · turmoil · stooshie · hullabaloo · dog's breakfast · ferment · bust-up · riot · rowdydow · three-ring circus · mess · merry hell · upstir · outcry · chaos · furor · pother
Translations (77)
sq sakatim (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · ru хао́с (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ml കുഴപ്പം (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fr désordre (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ml നാശം (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl fanteira (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl asoada (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · mi aneatanga (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · cs zmrzačení (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · fi törkeä pahoinpitely (criminal offence of maiming a person by depriving them of the use of any of their limbs) · ru ха́ос (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · nl wanorde (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · nl chaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ml നാശം (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · ast alborotu (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pt desordem (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ast baturiciu (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pl bezrząd (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ru разгро́м (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ru изуве́чение (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · pl chaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fi hävitys (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · pt confusão (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ca avalot (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · sq sakatim (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · es quilombo (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pt alvoroço (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fi sekasorto (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ru нанесе́ние уве́чья (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · cy caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl derrepó (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fi törkeä pahoinpitely (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · es mutilación criminal (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · ca aldarull (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · de Chaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pl okaleczenie (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · mi tīrangorango (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fr dévastation (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · mi kaumingomingo (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fr tumulte (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · es julepe (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · tr kaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · es tumulto (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ca mutilació (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · fr chaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · tr kargaşa (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · hu zűr (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ru беспоря́док (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ca tumult (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · el χαμός (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · it caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pt tumulto (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ru искале́чение (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · es alboroto (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · cs chaos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pl bezład (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ast caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl balbordo (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · cmn 混乱 (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · cs zmatek (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · hu felfordulás (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · es caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · pt caos (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl boureo (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · mi kūnakunaku (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · it marasma (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · cs mela (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl trepe (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · ka სახიჩრობა (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · fr grabuge (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · gl reboldaina (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · de Verstümmelung (criminal offence of maiming a person such that their ability to defend or protect themselves is weakened or completely removed; an instance of this) · mi aneatanga (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · it confusione (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this) · fr mutilation (violent conduct, especially the violent infliction of injury) · hu zűrzavar (great confusion, destruction, disorder, or trouble; instance of this)