Main Entry: sham·bles

Pronunciation: \ˈsham-bəlz\

Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction

Etymology: Middle English shameles, plural of schamel vendor's table, footstool, from Old English sceamol stool, from Latin scamillum, diminutive of scamnum stool, bench; perhaps akin to Sanskrit skambha pillar

Date: 15th century

1 archaic : a meat market
2 : slaughterhouse
3 a : a place of mass slaughter or bloodshed <the battlefield became a shambles> b : a scene or a state of great destruction : wreckage <the city was a shambles after the bombing> c (1) : a scene or a state of great disorder or confusion <an economy in shambles> (2) : great confusion : mess