mayhem

noun

plural mayhems
1
: needless or willful damage or violence
movies filled with murder and mayhem
2
a
: willful and permanent deprivation of a body part resulting in the impairment of a person's fighting ability
b
: willful and permanent disabling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of the body

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Mayhem Has Legal Roots

Legally speaking, mayhem refers to the gruesome crime of deliberately causing an injury that permanently disfigures another. The name derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb maheimer ("to maim") and is probably of Germanic origin; the English verb maim comes from the same ancestor. The disfigurement sense of mayhem first appeared in English in the 15th century. By the 19th century the word had come to mean any kind of violent behavior; nowadays, mayhem can be used to suggest any kind of chaos or disorder, as in "there was mayhem in the streets during the citywide blackout."

Examples of mayhem in a Sentence

movies filled with murder and mayhem a criminal who escaped from prison and caused mayhem
Recent Examples on the Web Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, Tom Bateman and Liana Liberato are back with more murder and mayhem in Based on a True Story season two. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024 The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid. Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Nava was convicted Tuesday on nine felony counts, including first-degree murder, torture, kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of child pornography and inflicting corporal injury to a current or former cohabitant. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2024 Popular on Variety The episode ends with Lois waking up in the process of being taken off life support, somehow surviving, and realizing that all of the murder and mayhem, was actually a dream. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mayhem 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mayhem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mayme, mahaime, from Anglo-French mahaim mutilation, mayhem, from maheimer, mahaigner to maim, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German meiden gelding, Old Norse meitha to injure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of mayhem was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayhem. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

mayhem

noun
1
: deliberate permanent crippling or injury of any part of the body
2
: needless or willful damage or violence

Medical Definition

mayhem

noun
: willful and permanent disabling, mutilation, or disfiguring of any part of the body
also : the crime of engaging in mayhem
A Rocklin cosmetic surgeon pleaded "not guilty" to 37 felony counts, including mayhem. … In broadcast media reports, women claimed they had botched plastic surgery procedures that have left them disfigured, disabled or both. California Statewide Law Enforcement Association

Legal Definition

mayhem

noun
may·​hem ˈmā-ˌhem, -əm How to pronounce mayhem (audio)
: willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of another's body
also : the crime of engaging in mayhem

Note: Under the Model Penal Code and the codes of the states that follow it, mayhem is encompassed by assault and aggravated assault.

Etymology

Anglo-French mahaim, mahain, literally, mutilation, from Old French mahain, from mahaignier to injure, mutilate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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