Main Entry: mael·strom

Pronunciation: \ˈmāl-strəm, -ˌsträm\

Function: noun

Etymology: obsolete Dutch (now maalstroom), from malen to grind + strom stream

Date: 1682

1 : a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius
2 : something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence