mayhem
pronunciation
How to pronounce mayhem in British English:
UK [ˈmeɪhem]
How to pronounce mayhem in American English:
US [ˈmeˌhɛm]
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- Noun:
- the willful and unlawful crippling or mutilation of another person
- violent and needless disturbance
Word Origin
- mayhem
- mayhem: see maim
- mayhem (n.)
- 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].
Example
- 1. The mayhem spread to other parts of the city .
- 2. All are untested and highly controversial because of their potential to trigger further ecological mayhem .
- 3. After a few days of mayhem the government scrapped its plans .
- 4. On february 27 , shanghai fell 9 per cent . A day of global market mayhem ensued .
- 5. Libya also stopped sponsoring terrorism in the west , though it continued to sow mayhem in africa .